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.

Epigenetic Drug Startup Tensha Therapeutics Snags $15M Series A

Cambridge, MA-based drug developer Tensha Therapeutics announced today that it has snapped up $15 million in Series A funding from HealthCare Ventures. The funding will go to developing Tensha’s small molecule drug candidates, which are designed to treat cancer and other diseases by regulating the expression of disease-associated genes. Tensha’s drugs are inhibitors of so-called bromodomains, … Continue reading “Epigenetic Drug Startup Tensha Therapeutics Snags $15M Series A”

Aura Adds $4.5M, Syndax To Present Breast Cancer Results at ASCO, PKE Buys Caliper, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

This week in New England we’ve seen financings and data updates from drug developers, as well as an acquisition in the life sciences tools space. —An SEC filing revealed that New Haven, CT-based BioRelix has brought in $3.6 million in new funding, as part of a round that could hit $5.3 million. The company is … Continue reading “Aura Adds $4.5M, Syndax To Present Breast Cancer Results at ASCO, PKE Buys Caliper, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Caliper To Be Acquired By PerkinElmer for $600M

Waltham, MA-based life sciences tools maker PerkinElmer (NYSE: [[ticker:PKI]]) announced this morning that it has agreed to acquire a Bay State neighbor focused on imaging and detection technology, Hopkinton, MA-based Caliper Life Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CALP]]), for $10.50 per share in cash. Caliper has a major office in Mountain View, CA, as well. The purchase, which comes … Continue reading “Caliper To Be Acquired By PerkinElmer for $600M”

Backupify Brings in $5M Series B

Cambridge, MA-based Backupify, a provider of technology for backing up data stored in e-mail and social media applications, is announcing it has nabbed a $5 million Series B financing, led by existing investor Avalon Ventures. Return investors General Catalyst Partners and Lowercase Capital also participated in the deal, which brings Backupify’s total funding pot to … Continue reading “Backupify Brings in $5M Series B”

Locu, Formerly Goodplates, Raises Seed Funding to Pursue Online Menu Platform

Locu, a Cambridge, MA-based Web startup, is closing its round of seed funding, with TechCrunch pegging the amount at $623,000. “We ended up getting a really diverse group of investors, both East Coast and West Coast,” CEO Rene Reinsberg tells me. That includes Boston angel investor and HubSpot founder Dharmesh Shah (also an investor in Xconomy), … Continue reading “Locu, Formerly Goodplates, Raises Seed Funding to Pursue Online Menu Platform”

PTC Acquires 4CS, Goby Picked Up by TeleNav, Punchbowl Nabs Funding, & More Boston-Area Deals News

It may be a short week around here, but New England has already seen a crop of acquisitions in the Web, enterprise software, and cleantech spaces, along with some startup financing news. —Despite announcing deep cuts to its global R&D operation earlier this year, Pfizer signed a 10-year lease with MIT for more than 180,000 square … Continue reading “PTC Acquires 4CS, Goby Picked Up by TeleNav, Punchbowl Nabs Funding, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

PTC Acquires 4CS for Warranty Management Software

PTC (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PMTC]]), the Needham, MA-based product development software maker, said today that it has acquired East Moline, IL-based 4CS, a maker of software for warranty and service management. The financial terms of the deal were not announced. PTC said the 4CS technology will work with its existing product lines that enable manufacturers to keep … Continue reading “PTC Acquires 4CS for Warranty Management Software”

Pfizer Grows in Cambridge, Repligen Eyes Imaging Approval, GI Dynamics Gets Aussie IPO, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

New England biotech firms are roaring out of summer with news of fundraising, hires, regulatory moves, and acquisitions. —Cambridge, MA-based medical imaging startup Lantos Technologies announced a new round of funding and a new CEO. The firm pulled in $4.1 million in Series B money—led by return Lantos investor Excel Venture Management and with participation from … Continue reading “Pfizer Grows in Cambridge, Repligen Eyes Imaging Approval, GI Dynamics Gets Aussie IPO, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Verizon Buys CloudSwitch, Adimab Inks Biogen and Novo Nordisk Deals, EMD Millpore Buys Amnis, & More Boston-Area Deals News

It looks like New England’s tech and life sciences firms are working to ink financing, collaboration, and acquisition deals before the holiday weekend hits. —Digital media and video-hosting firm Brightcove filed paperwork with the SEC indicating its hopes to raise $50 million in an initial public offering. Morgan Stanley and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company will … Continue reading “Verizon Buys CloudSwitch, Adimab Inks Biogen and Novo Nordisk Deals, EMD Millpore Buys Amnis, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

GI Dynamics Raises $85M USD in Aussie IPO

Lexington, MA-based GI Dynamics, a medical device developer focused on treating obesity and diabetes, has raised $85 million ($80 million in Australian dollars) in an initial public offering in Australia, according to an online report from The Australian. Earlier this summer the firm indicated that it hoped to go public in Australia, bringing in between $85 … Continue reading “GI Dynamics Raises $85M USD in Aussie IPO”

Black Coral’s Rob Day Talks Cleantech By Way of IT, Why Evergreen Solar’s Bankruptcy Isn’t the End, and Boston’s Energy Future

Two years ago, we took a close look at Boston-based Black Coral Capital, just as Rob Day was joining the newly formed, cleantech-focused private equity firm as partner. Since then, both the Day and Black Coral names have shown up as part of investments in some innovative cleantech plays in Boston—several that go beyond traditional … Continue reading “Black Coral’s Rob Day Talks Cleantech By Way of IT, Why Evergreen Solar’s Bankruptcy Isn’t the End, and Boston’s Energy Future”

Adimab Inks Collaboration Deals with Biogen Idec, Novo Nordisk

Lebanon, NH-based Adimab, a provider of human antibody discovery technology, announced today that it has formed discovery collaborations with Weston, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) and Danish firm Novo Nordisk. Each pharmaceutical company will use the Adimab technology to identify human antibodies against two targets. The specific targets and the dollar terms of the deals … Continue reading “Adimab Inks Collaboration Deals with Biogen Idec, Novo Nordisk”

Lantos Nabs $4.1M, Adds New CEO

[Updated 8/29/11 6:40 pm. See below.] Cambridge, MA-based Lantos Technologies, an imaging technology startup, has brought in $4.1 million in a round of equity funding from 17 investors, according to an SEC filing. The funding was led by return Lantos investor Excel Venture Management and included previous backers Catalyst Health Ventures and Mass Medical Angels. The MIT spinout … Continue reading “Lantos Nabs $4.1M, Adds New CEO”

Redstone-Founded Advancit Gets $3.2M

Norwood, MA-based Advancit Capital, an early stage investment firm founded by Shari Redstone (daughter of CBS and Viacom director and National Amusements president Sumner Redstone), has inked a $3.2 million investment, an SEC filing shows. The firm, co-founded by Jason Ostheimer, will invest in media, entertainment, and tech startups, according to an e-mail sent to … Continue reading “Redstone-Founded Advancit Gets $3.2M”

Buzzient Snaps Up $1.1M to Put Toward Social CRM Software, Talent

Boston-based Buzzient, a maker of software enabling businesses to use social media to more effectively keep tabs on their customers, has taken in $1.1 million in equity based funding. CEO Timothy Bernard Jones says the financing is an inside round, led by his own seed fund TBJ Investments. Other investors are TiE Angels Boston, Buzzient … Continue reading “Buzzient Snaps Up $1.1M to Put Toward Social CRM Software, Talent”

Faqden, Using MIT Artificial Intelligence Research, Aims to Turn Mobile Phone Into Vocab Coach for SAT Prep

Looking back on my SATs, I felt like I might have been at a disadvantage having prepped for the test with a book, as opposed to a living, breathing coach or instructor with a bit more personalization. Sunnyvale, CA-based Faqden, whose founding team includes Harvard and MIT alums, has set its sight on combining the … Continue reading “Faqden, Using MIT Artificial Intelligence Research, Aims to Turn Mobile Phone Into Vocab Coach for SAT Prep”

Springpad Announces Facebook Integration for Tracking Friends’ Likes and Accessing Them When You Need Them

Spring Partners CEO and co-founder Jeff Janer has previously referred to his Charlestown, MA-based company’s service as the “anti-Facebook: a place to focus not on your social network but on yourself and all the tasks and information you have to manage.” Today Spring is announcing that Springpad, its online notebook designed to function as a … Continue reading “Springpad Announces Facebook Integration for Tracking Friends’ Likes and Accessing Them When You Need Them”

HubSpot Buys OneForty, Cambridge Diagnostics Startups Nab Funding, Hopper Closes $8M, & More Boston-Area Deals News

This week we’ve seen financing news for a mix of New England IT and life sciences startups. —Massachusetts startups raised $250.5 million across 34 deals in July, down from about $564.7 million the month before. The July drop in funding is a pattern we’ve observed before, thanks to data from our partner CB Insights, provider … Continue reading “HubSpot Buys OneForty, Cambridge Diagnostics Startups Nab Funding, Hopper Closes $8M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

Cartera Commerce Eyes Local Merchants to Drive Card-Linked Loyalty Program Business

Lexington, MA-based Cartera Commerce got started in 2005 under the name Mall Networks, as a provider of online malls where credit card holders and airline frequent flyers could earn rewards for buying goods from a collection of brand name merchants. That was before group buying and the financial crisis of 2008 happened. Both of which … Continue reading “Cartera Commerce Eyes Local Merchants to Drive Card-Linked Loyalty Program Business”

Quanterix Finds $6M

Cambridge, MA-based diagnostics startup Quanterix has inked a $6 million equity investment from nine investors, an SEC filing shows. Members of Bain Capital Ventures, Arch Venture Partners, and Flagship Ventures are listed as Quanterix directors on the filing. Earlier this year Novartis struck a deal to use Quanterix’s technology for diagnosing a neurological disorder.

MIT’s t=0 Festival to Include Hackathon, Startup Demos, Entrepreneur Speakers-Even a Bouncy House

MIT is looking to throw a party this September, but it’s not just all fun and games (more on that later). The innovation community has already been buzzing a bit about this one, called t=0. The idea for the festival is “to encourage students to start something that is big and world changing,” says Dharmishta … Continue reading “MIT’s t=0 Festival to Include Hackathon, Startup Demos, Entrepreneur Speakers-Even a Bouncy House”

Pulmatrix Snags $14M, Embera Adds for $4.5 Addiction Drugs, Daktari Gets $1.2M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

This week was dominated by financing news from younger, privately held New England drug developers and diagnostics and devices firms. —Waltham, MA-based Proteon Therapeutics inked a $15.2 million equity- and options-based investment. The firm is developing drugs for kidney and vascular diseases. —Fluidnet, an Amesbury, MA-based developer of electronic infusion pumps for administering IV fluids, … Continue reading “Pulmatrix Snags $14M, Embera Adds for $4.5 Addiction Drugs, Daktari Gets $1.2M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Funding for Diagnostics, Crowdsourced Problem Solving, & Medicine Counterfeiting Prevention

We spotted a few investments in New England startups working on a mix of technology in life sciences and collaboration. Take a look. —Cambridge, MA-based Daktari Diagnostics, a maker of an HIV diagnostics system for use in developing countries, took in $1.17 million of a targeted $1.25 million debt round of funding, according to an … Continue reading “Funding for Diagnostics, Crowdsourced Problem Solving, & Medicine Counterfeiting Prevention”

Tech Startup Investing, Following the Seasonal Pattern, Falls to $250M in July

Startups in the Bay State have taken a bit of a break from the feverish pace they were inking deals at earlier this summer. Last month, 34 startups pulled in $250.5 million in equity-based deals, down from the whopping $564.7 million they raised across 38 financings in June, according to data from Funding Flash, a … Continue reading “Tech Startup Investing, Following the Seasonal Pattern, Falls to $250M in July”

Carbonite Goes Public At $10 a Share, PeerTransfer Pulls In $7.5M, BuyWithMe Picks Up Scoop St., & More Boston-Area Deals News

This week’s New England deals list includes a mix of life sciences and IT companies. —Lexington, MA-based T2 Biosystems, a developer of a system for identifying biological substances such as proteins, small molecules, viruses, and DNA more cheaply and quickly than existing methods, took in $23 million in Series D financing. New T2 investor Aisling … Continue reading “Carbonite Goes Public At $10 a Share, PeerTransfer Pulls In $7.5M, BuyWithMe Picks Up Scoop St., & More Boston-Area Deals News”

PeerTransfer Nabs $7.5M for Tuition Payment Processing Tech

Boston-based PeerTransfer, a developer of technology for more cheaply and efficiently processing college tuition payments from international students, has inked a deal itself. The startup announced today that it has completed a $7.5 million Series A financing, led by Spark Capital, and which included Accel Partners, Maveron, and Boston Seed Capital. The new cash will … Continue reading “PeerTransfer Nabs $7.5M for Tuition Payment Processing Tech”

Evergreen Solar Seeks Bankruptcy Protection, Slices Another 65 Jobs, Suspends MI Plant

The Evergreen Solar story keeps getting worse. The Marlboro, MA-based solar technology company revealed today that it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. The court documents were not available online today, but other media outlets have reported that Evergreen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ESLR]]), with assets of $424.5 million, owed its roughly … Continue reading “Evergreen Solar Seeks Bankruptcy Protection, Slices Another 65 Jobs, Suspends MI Plant”

Embera Takes In $4.5M

Embera NeuroTherapeutics, a Sudbury, MA- and Shreveport, LA-based developer of drugs for treating addictions, has added another $4.5 million in Series A financing, the company announced today. The money comes from Embera’s existing backers, Louisiana Ventures, Louisiana Fund I, and Themelios Ventures, as well as other private investors. The funding will go to supporting the … Continue reading “Embera Takes In $4.5M”

Boston’s E-Mail Apps Mini-Cluster Is Looking To Help Users Sell, Serve, Organize, and Even Play More Efficiently

The West Coast might have all the big names in e-mail platforms, but Boston’s doing plenty when it comes to building technology on top of those existing foundations. There are a number of established players that have been around and working on technology for things like managing e-mail outboxes (SMTP), bulk mailings (Constant Contact), and … Continue reading “Boston’s E-Mail Apps Mini-Cluster Is Looking To Help Users Sell, Serve, Organize, and Even Play More Efficiently”

Another $15.2M for Proteon

Waltham, MA-based Proteon Therapeutics, a developer of drugs for kidney and vascular disease, has brought in another $15.2 million in equity- and options-based funding from 19 investors, an SEC filing shows. The biotech company’s last financing was in 2009, when it announced raising $12 million from new backers Bessemer Venture Partners and Devon Park Bioventures to bring … Continue reading “Another $15.2M for Proteon”

Fluidnet Finds $25M

[Updated on 8/23/11 at 10:10 am.] Amesbury, MA-based Fluidnet, which makes electronic infusion pumps for administering IV fluids, announced it has closed a $25 million Series C financing. The deal was led by new investor Fidelity BioSciences and included new investor SCP Vitalife Partners as well as previous backers Cardinal Partners, Easterly Capital and Rockport Venture Partners. The … Continue reading “Fluidnet Finds $25M”

T2 Nabs $23M, Ironwood Seeks IBS Drug Approval, FDA Sets Deadline for Alkermes Drug, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

It seems that IT news has dominated this week, so we’re bringing you a short and sweet roundup of life sciences funding and drug development news from around New England. —Cambridge, MA-based Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IRWD]]) and New York-based Forest Laboratories (NYSE: [[ticker:FRX]]) announced that they submitted a new drug application to the FDA for … Continue reading “T2 Nabs $23M, Ironwood Seeks IBS Drug Approval, FDA Sets Deadline for Alkermes Drug, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Vlingo Cleared in 1st Patent Infringement Case

A federal jury in Boston found Cambridge, MA-based Vlingo’s speech recognition software did not infringe on a patent owned by Nuance Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUAN]]), the companies said in two separate announcements (here and here). Burlington, MA-based Nuance has alleged that Vlingo has infringed on a number of its patents, but this particular patent, 6,766,295, covers the technique … Continue reading “Vlingo Cleared in 1st Patent Infringement Case”

Xconomy Guide to Venture Incubators Back For A Third Year, Sixty-Four Programs Strong

You could say that the institution of the startup incubator has gotten its chance to shine this year. One way we can tell? Our third annual Xconomy Guide to Venture Incubators has nearly doubled in size from the 2010 version. The big boom wasn’t a total surprise, given that this year politicians and the like … Continue reading “Xconomy Guide to Venture Incubators Back For A Third Year, Sixty-Four Programs Strong”

Avalon Leads $3M Nanigans Deal, M/A-COM Seeks IPO, Bluesocket Bought by ADTRAN, & More Boston-Area Deals News

IT companies dominated New England deals this week, with word of acquisitions, financings, and potential IPOs. —M/A-COM Technology Solutions, a Lowell, MA-based wireless chip maker, said in an SEC filing that it hopes to raise up to $230 million in an initial public offering. The firm is now owned by semiconductor-focused private equity fund Gaas … Continue reading “Avalon Leads $3M Nanigans Deal, M/A-COM Seeks IPO, Bluesocket Bought by ADTRAN, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

Ironwood, Forest Seek FDA Approval

Cambridge, MA-based Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IRWD]]) and New York-based Forest Laboratories (NYSE: [[ticker:FRX]]) announced today that they have submitted an application to the FDA for approval of their drug linaclotide, a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic constipation.The application includes safety and efficacy data from two long-term safety studies and four placebo-controlled clinical … Continue reading “Ironwood, Forest Seek FDA Approval”

Nanigans Inks $3M Series A

[Corrected 8/10/11, 2:25 pm. See below.] Nanigans, a Boston-based provider of a real-time bidding advertising platform for Facebook, announced today that it has closed a $3 million Series A round, led by Avalon Ventures. Nanigans said that it will be adding Avalon’s Rich Levandov to the board as a result of the funding, which also came … Continue reading “Nanigans Inks $3M Series A”

Bluesocket Bought By ADTRAN

Burlington, MA-based Bluesocket, which produces wireless networking and security technology, has been acquired by ADTRAN in a transaction effective August 4, the companies announced today. ADTRAN (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ADTN]]), a provider of networking and communications equipment, will roll Bluesocket into its enterprise networks business. Bluesocket—whose investors include Ascent Venture Partners, Intel Capital, Menlo Ventures, and Vesbridge … Continue reading “Bluesocket Bought By ADTRAN”

Cape Cod Startup PartingGift Looks to Gamify Market Research

What do running a farm, being a mobster, and taking orders at the drive-through at Dunkin’ Donuts all have in common? They’re all experiences simulated on Facebook, thanks to game developers Zynga (maker of Mafia Wars and Farmville) and a much newer startup, PartingGift, which operates in a Massachusetts area not exactly known as a … Continue reading “Cape Cod Startup PartingGift Looks to Gamify Market Research”

Another $5M for DynamicOps

DynamicOps, a Burlington, MA-based developer of technology for virtualizing IT environments for businesses, has brought in another $5 million in equity-based funding, according to an SEC filing. The document for the newest investment lists members of Sierra Ventures and Credit Suisse, which spun out DynamicOps in 2008, as directors at the company. DynamicOps raised $11.3 … Continue reading “Another $5M for DynamicOps”

Tantaline Snaps Up $3.6M

Waltham, MA-based Tantaline, a developer of corrosion-resistant surface alloy technology, announced yesterday that it had pulled in $3.6 million in Series B financing, led by Harvard, MA-based Berwind Private Equity, and Danish firms Vaekstfonden and CC Holdings. Tantaline’s technology enables materials to achieve greater energy efficiency in high chemical, pressure, and temperature environments—for applications in … Continue reading “Tantaline Snaps Up $3.6M”