Nuance Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUAN]]),a Burlington, MA-based maker of speech software, announced today it has agreed to acquire Equitrac for $157 million in a cash transaction expected to close in Nuance’s fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011. Equitrac is a maker of print management software and will be rolled into Nuance’s document management units.
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.
Churnless Consults Big Corporations and Incubates Startups Focused on Helping Consumers Change Behavior
Mix one part consultancy with another part incubator and then toss that with an entrepreneur’s passion project. Sprinkle on some academia, too. And there you have New York-based Churnless. The firm’s founders, Matt Wallaert and Avi Karnani, come from Thrive, a company focused helping consumers make better financial decisions. They sold it to Lendingtree.com in … Continue reading “Churnless Consults Big Corporations and Incubates Startups Focused on Helping Consumers Change Behavior”
APriori Snaps Up $4.9M
Concord, MA-based aPriori Technologies, a maker of software for managing cost for manufacturing customers, has brought in $4.9 million in equity-based funding from four investors, an SEC filing shows. Sigma Partners is a previous investor in aPriori and is reflected on the firm’s board of directors in the newest filing.
Merrimack Inks $220M Deal for PharmaEngine Drug
Cambridge, MA-based drug developer Merrimack Pharmaceuticals said today that it has paid Taiwan-based PharmaEngine $10 million upfront for the rights to develop and commercialize one of its drugs in Europe and Asia. Merrimack could pay another $210 million in development, regulatory, and sales milestones and royalties tied to MM-398, a treatment for gastric, colorectal, and … Continue reading “Merrimack Inks $220M Deal for PharmaEngine Drug”
Amidst Google Lawsuits, Skyhook Sees Victories With App Developer Deals and Press on Privacy Concerns—And Isn’t Looking to be Acquired Just Yet
It’s no secret that some big West Coast players have shown interest in Boston’s homegrown mobile technology lately. In the past few weeks, San Jose, CA-based eBay (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EBAY]]) has bought Where, a location-based mobile advertising and recommendations provider, and mobile payments startup Fig Card, to roll into its PayPal division. But Boston-based Skyhook Wireless … Continue reading “Amidst Google Lawsuits, Skyhook Sees Victories With App Developer Deals and Press on Privacy Concerns—And Isn’t Looking to be Acquired Just Yet”
Varian Bought By Applied Materials
Santa Clara, CA-based Applied Materials (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMAT]]) said today it was buying Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VSEA]]), a Gloucester,MA-based provider of ion implantation products for semiconductor chips, in a definitive merger agreement, paying $63 per share in cash. The $4.9 billion transaction represents a 38 percent premium on Varian’s 30 day average closing stock price, and … Continue reading “Varian Bought By Applied Materials”
Toyota Invests in WiTricity, Gambling.com Goes for $2.5M on Sedo, eBay Buys FigCard to Roll Into PayPal, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Acquisitions and financing headlines were prominent this week for companies in the Web, mobile, and enterprise IT spaces. —TA Associates and Summit Partners, growth equity firms with offices in Boston and Silicon Valley, nabbed a controlling share of the Germany-based online gaming company Bigpoint, by investing $350 million in recapitalization financing. Previous Bigpoint shareholder Comcast … Continue reading “Toyota Invests in WiTricity, Gambling.com Goes for $2.5M on Sedo, eBay Buys FigCard to Roll Into PayPal, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
BuyWithMe Buys DealADayOnline
BuyWithMe, a group buying startup founded in Boston and based in New York, said today it has acquired Chicago-based DealADayOnline to expand its reach in the city. BuyWithMe, which has raised about $21.5 million in funding, said its service operates in 13 major cities in the U.S. and that it plans to hit twice that … Continue reading “BuyWithMe Buys DealADayOnline”
Fiksu Looks to Help Brands Like Gilt, Barnes & Noble, Groupon Spend Less to Get More Mobile App Customers
You could say Fiksu, one of Boston’s most buzz-worthy mobile startups, took the lemons its first product gave it, and made lemonade. The firm, founded in 2008 under the name Fluent Mobile, rolled out a news aggregator mobile app in 2009, to help consumers track and read publications from their smartphones. “What happened with the … Continue reading “Fiksu Looks to Help Brands Like Gilt, Barnes & Noble, Groupon Spend Less to Get More Mobile App Customers”
Matrix Raises $650 in Two Funds
Matrix Partners, a venture firm with offices in Waltham, MA, Silicon Valley, and New York, announced on Friday that it raised $650 million in two new funds focused on investments in Asia. The firm closed $350 million for its Matrix Partners China II fund and $300 million for its Matrix Partners India II fund. “Both countries … Continue reading “Matrix Raises $650 in Two Funds”
Invoke Brings In $3.8M
Invoke Solutions, a Waltham, MA-based provider of software for marketing research, has pinned down $3.8 million in equity-based funding from two investors, an SEC filing shows. The company’s previous investors include Bain Capital Ventures, BEV Capital, North Atlantic Capital, and the BRM Group. Last summer the company raised $1.8 million in an equity and options … Continue reading “Invoke Brings In $3.8M”
FDA Panel OKs Vertex Drug, Dyax Works With FivePrime, Genzyme Amends Anika Lawsuit, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
New England biotechs made news this week with approvals from FDA advisory panels, licensing deals, collaboration agreements, and lawsuits. —An FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended the FDA approve telaprevir, the thrice-daily pill for hepatitis C from Cambridge, MA-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]). The FDA, which usually takes the recommendations of these panels, is scheduled to make … Continue reading “FDA Panel OKs Vertex Drug, Dyax Works With FivePrime, Genzyme Amends Anika Lawsuit, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Dassault Buys Enginuity
Product lifecycle management software maker Dassault Systemes, whose U.S. headquarters are in Lowell, MA, said today that it has acquired Milford, CT-based Enginuity PLM, a maker of formula-based product development software. The acquisition expands Dassault’s reach to customers in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, personal care, fragrance, and food and beverage spaces. Financial terms of the deal … Continue reading “Dassault Buys Enginuity”
Startup Funding In March Doubles to $260M; Internet Edges Out Healthcare
Spring has sprung for the state’s tech and life sciences startups. After raising a slim $130.9 million in February, things really warmed up last month. Thirty-nine startups pulled in a whopping $260 million in equity-based funding, with a few sectors in particular taking sizeable chunks of cash, according to data from CB Insights’ FundingFlash, a … Continue reading “Startup Funding In March Doubles to $260M; Internet Edges Out Healthcare”
AppNeta Nabs $6.2M
AppNeta, a provider of cloud-based network management technology, announced today that it has raised $6.2 million in new funding, led by Bain Capital Ventures, Egan-Managed Capital, JMI Equity (which is based in San Diego and Baltimore, MD), and Business Development Bank of Canada. The Wellesley Hills, MA-based company, whose technology and staff comes from Apparent Networks, … Continue reading “AppNeta Nabs $6.2M”
TA, Summit Put $350M Into Bigpoint
Germany-based Bigpoint, an online gaming company with a developer team in San Francisco, said that it secured $350 million in a recapitalization financing from TA Associates and Summit Partners, growth equity firms with offices in Boston and Silicon Valley. The deal gives TA and Summit a controlling share of Bigpoint together, with previous shareholder Comcast … Continue reading “TA, Summit Put $350M Into Bigpoint”
NYU-Poly Varick Street Incubator Taps Into Student Talent and Helps Startups Grow Up
While working in technology transfer and in the Brooklyn-based incubator at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Bruce Niswander says he saw a disconnect between the “high supply of talented, energetic students,” and hiring struggles at startup companies. “One of biggest challenges for a small business is identifying talent that’s affordable and available,” says … Continue reading “NYU-Poly Varick Street Incubator Taps Into Student Talent and Helps Startups Grow Up”
eBay Acquires Where, Bluebird Calls In $30M, Humedica Gets $20M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
EBay’s $135 million acquisition of the mobile startup Where took the spotlight this week, but we also saw headlines of financings for New England-area firms in the IT, cleantech, and life sciences spaces. —Cambridge, MA-based Bluebird Bio pulled in $30 million in Series C financing from new investor ARCH Venture Partners and existing backers Third … Continue reading “eBay Acquires Where, Bluebird Calls In $30M, Humedica Gets $20M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Next Step Nabs $1.5M
Boston-based cleantech startup Next Step Living has brought in $1.5 million of an equity offering that could total $2.8 million, according to an SEC filing. The company, which helps consumers audit their home for energy inefficiencies and retrofit them to prevent heated or cooled air from escaping, raised $2.6 million in Series B funding last … Continue reading “Next Step Nabs $1.5M”
Zapoint Charting Out “Skills Maps” of 300 Big Companies
Zapoint, a Cambridge, MA-based maker of career management software, is taking an unusual approach to getting the attention of HR departments. The company announced last month that it is compiling the data generated by social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook to put together what it calls “skills maps” of the workforces at roughly 300 … Continue reading “Zapoint Charting Out “Skills Maps” of 300 Big Companies”
“Ready or Not,” Greentown Labs Startups to Move In This Week, With $75K for Retooling Boston Space
It’s moving week for the companies launching Greentown Labs, the new cleantech incubator in the seaport area dubbed Boston’s “Innovation District” by Mayor Tom Menino. The space at 337 Summer Street still looks more or less like a construction site, but the companies helping to get the incubator off the ground will be moving in … Continue reading ““Ready or Not,” Greentown Labs Startups to Move In This Week, With $75K for Retooling Boston Space”
Mersana Nabs $6M Debt Deal
[[Corrected 4/22/11 at 2:15 pm]]Mersana Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA-based drug maker, has brought in $6 million of a targeted $10 million debt offering, from seven investors, according to an SEC filing. Last year, the company inked a deal that could be worth $334 million with Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, for developing a new polymer-based drug … Continue reading “Mersana Nabs $6M Debt Deal”
Ariad Extends Licenses, Amgen Osteoporosis Drug Meets Trial Goals, Corindus Partners with Philips, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
Big name biotechs in New England made news this week with revenue reports, clinical results, and news on licensing agreements. —Cambridge, MA-based Ariad Pharmaceuticals (NASDAD: [[ticker:ARIA]]) said it extended licenses to its cell-signaling regulation technology to three groups, each of which will use it for different purposes: Houston, TX Bellicum Pharmaceuticals (experimental cancer vaccine and cell therapies), … Continue reading “Ariad Extends Licenses, Amgen Osteoporosis Drug Meets Trial Goals, Corindus Partners with Philips, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Philips, Corindus Collaborate
Royal Philips Electronics and Natick, MA-based Corindus announced today that they will collaborate to use Corindus’ minimally invasive, robotics-based treatment for blocked arteries in Philips’ cardiology products. Philips has acquired a minority stake in Corindus as a result of the deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed. “As part of our strategy, Philips is committed … Continue reading “Philips, Corindus Collaborate”
It’s So Easy, a Fourth Grader Can Do It: Wiggio 2.0 Collaboration Software Aims to Take on SharePoint, Basecamp, Dropbox, & More
Boston entrepreneur Dana Lampert says he tests every new feature for his collaboration software, Wiggio, in a fourth-grade classroom. “If they can’t do it, we don’t put it out,” he says. “We’re kind of the anti-SharePoint [Microsoft], the anti-Wave [Google]. We don’t want to just add bells and whistles. We really focus on user experience.” … Continue reading “It’s So Easy, a Fourth Grader Can Do It: Wiggio 2.0 Collaboration Software Aims to Take on SharePoint, Basecamp, Dropbox, & More”
Brooks Automation Sells Manufacturing Unit
Brooks Automation (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BRKS]]), a Chelmsford, MA-based maker of automation technology for the semiconductor market, said today that it has sold its Portland, OR-based contract manufacturing unit to Canadian firm Celestica, for $80 million in cash. The company said the transaction will enable it to better focus on developing technology for controlled temperature and pressure … Continue reading “Brooks Automation Sells Manufacturing Unit”
MassCEC Announces New Solar Initiative
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center said today that it will launch an initiative called Solarize Massachusetts to encourage residents and businesses to adopt solar photovoltaic panels on a community-wide level. The program will deploy in the four pilot communities of Harvard, Hatfield, Scituate, and Winchester initially, and will use education, marketing, and group purchasing to … Continue reading “MassCEC Announces New Solar Initiative”
Where Acquired by eBay
Boston-based Where, a developer of technology for location-based mobile advertising and services, has been acquired by San Jose, CA-based eBay (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EBAY]]), according to a post today on the PayPal (part of eBay) blog. Financial terms were not revealed, but the acquisition of Where is expected to close later this quarter. Last December, Where, which has … Continue reading “Where Acquired by eBay”
Zipcar Goes Public, PTC Buys MKS, Third Rock Leads $18.3M Series B for Taris, & More Boston-Area Deals News
This week we’ve seen a slew of startup financings and an IPO in the New England area. —Third Rock Ventures became an investor in Taris Biomedical, leading an $18.3 million Series B financing for the MIT spinout. The company will use the money to advance its drug-delivery device, for treating a variety of bladder ailments. … Continue reading “Zipcar Goes Public, PTC Buys MKS, Third Rock Leads $18.3M Series B for Taris, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
OutSmart Adds $1.8M in Debt
OutSmart Power Systems, a Natick, MA-based startup developing a network of software and hardware for energy management and monitoring in commercial buildings, has added $1.8 million to a debt-based funding round that could total $4.5 million, according to an amended SEC filing. The company raised $805,000 toward a $1 million debt offering last October. OutSmart … Continue reading “OutSmart Adds $1.8M in Debt”
Postling, from Etsy.com Veterans, Looks to Manage Social Media for the Non-Tech-Savvy Business Owner
Your average doctor who owns his practice doesn’t exactly have time to monitor Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, YouTube, and blogs all day for comments and reviews on his business, says entrepreneur David Lifson. Yet a busy doctor is just the type of customer that Lifson is targeting with Postling, the startup he co-founded in New York … Continue reading “Postling, from Etsy.com Veterans, Looks to Manage Social Media for the Non-Tech-Savvy Business Owner”
‘Not Your Mother’s Coupons’—With a Fresh $7 Million, SavingStar Launches Mobile and Digital Grocery Couponing Service
In the last couple of years, the advent of group buying and daily-deals sites has given consumers regular access to big discounts online for things like whitewater rafting, hot yoga, laser hair removal, and tapas. Meanwhile, the slightly more practical customers have been left with Sunday circulars. Enter SavingStar. The Waltham, MA-based company’s fully digital … Continue reading “‘Not Your Mother’s Coupons’—With a Fresh $7 Million, SavingStar Launches Mobile and Digital Grocery Couponing Service”
CampusLive Nabs $3M
CampusLive, a Boston-based Web advertising startup for connecting brands with college students, has raised $3.1 million from Highland Capital Partners and Charles River Ventures, as well as other individual investors, according to a report from Scott Kirsner of the Boston Globe today. Last year the firm, whose founders come from UMass Amherst, raised $340,000 in … Continue reading “CampusLive Nabs $3M”
Aveo Adds Termeer to Board, Monsanto Partners With Atlas, Biogen Drug Meets Clinical Goal, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
We saw financings, CEO and board hires, and clinical results from New England area biotechs this week. —Blueprint Medicines, a startup focused on developing personalized cancer treatments, said it nabbed a $40 million Series A financing led by Third Rock Ventures. Mark Levin and Alexis Borisy of Third Rock serve on board of directors at … Continue reading “Aveo Adds Termeer to Board, Monsanto Partners With Atlas, Biogen Drug Meets Clinical Goal, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
NextView Grabs $8M of $25M
NextView Ventures, a Cambridge, MA-based micro VC firm launched last summer, has brought in $8.1 million of a $25 million fundraise, an SEC filing shows. Earlier this year, Greg caught up with NextView partner David Beisel (formerly vice president at Venrock), who discussed the fledgling firm’s crop of advisors, and the group of startups it … Continue reading “NextView Grabs $8M of $25M”
Merrimack Gets $77M Series G
Cambridge, MA-based cancer drug developer Merrimack Pharmaceuticals said today that it has pinned down $77 million in Series G financing from new and existing backers. The money will go to advancing Merrimack’s pipeline of novel cancer therapies. The company’s investors include Credit Suisse First Boston Next Fund, Crocker Ventures, funds advised by Fred Alger Management, … Continue reading “Merrimack Gets $77M Series G”
Proper Cloth Tackles Custom Shirt Design Online for the Novice to the Expert
Seph Skerritt, a New York entrepreneur, says he has a foolproof way to solve a problem well-known to many New York men—how to find a perfect fitting dress shirt. Skerritt’s company, Proper Cloth, offers an online interface enabling men to custom create dress shirts based on their desired measurements, style, fit, and fabric. I know … Continue reading “Proper Cloth Tackles Custom Shirt Design Online for the Novice to the Expert”
Currensee Rings Up $4M
Boston-based Currensee, a Web service targeting investors interested in foreign currency markets, said today that it has secured $4 million in funding from North Bridge Venture Partners, Egan-Managed Capital, and Vernon & Park Capital. The Series C financing brings the funding pot to $16.8 million for Currensee, which closed an $8 million Series B round … Continue reading “Currensee Rings Up $4M”
PTC Buys MKS
PTC (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PMTC]]), a Needham, MA-based maker of product development software, said it has agreed to acquire MKS (TSX: [[ticker:MKXX]]) for CDN$26.20 per share in cash, for a total purchase price of CDN$292.5 million. MKS makes application lifecycle management technology for tracking the production of software-intensive products, by managing elements like requirements, models, and testing. … Continue reading “PTC Buys MKS”
Google-ITA Acquisition Advances, Nano Terra Buys Surface Logix, Blueprint Medicines Gets $40M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
We saw acquisitions in the life sciences, Internet, and mobile sectors, as well as financings for startups spanning high-tech industries in New England. —Akiban Technologies, a Boston database software maker, added another $3.2 million to its $6.5 million financing from 2009. The company, whose previous investors include North Bridge Venture Partners and Foundation Capital, used … Continue reading “Google-ITA Acquisition Advances, Nano Terra Buys Surface Logix, Blueprint Medicines Gets $40M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Groom Energy Grabs $2.6M
Groom Energy, a Salem, MA-based company focused on corporate sustainability and energy assessments, said today it has pinned down $2.6 million in funding from a group of angel investors, led by Eyk Van Otterloo, founder of the investment management firm GMO. The money will fund its shared-savings agreements with corporations, where it installs products like … Continue reading “Groom Energy Grabs $2.6M”
Investments in Verdasys, Bit9 Add to Funding Pot for Boston-Area Security Firms
It’s a good time to be in the security software business, or so it seems. Two area firms working on enterprise-level security and endpoint security to protect against cyber attacks and malware announced some big funding rounds today. The deal announcements come less than a month after RSA Security, a Bedford, MA-based division of EMC … Continue reading “Investments in Verdasys, Bit9 Add to Funding Pot for Boston-Area Security Firms”
Digital Lumens Lights Up With $10M to Get Smart LED Technology to More Customers
Boston-based cleantech startup Digital Lumens has taken in $10 million in a Series B funding from its existing investors Black Coral Capital, Flybridge Capital Partners, and Stata Venture Partners, and has nabbed a line of credit from Silicon Valley Bank. The deal brings Digital Lumens’ funding pot to about $25 million. Digital Lumens has married … Continue reading “Digital Lumens Lights Up With $10M to Get Smart LED Technology to More Customers”
Teams From MA, RI, and CT Take Top Three Spots at Boston FIRST Robotics Competition
Fifty-three teams battled it out on Saturday at the Boston regional edition of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, a robot-building contest for high school students celebrating its 20th anniversary season year. The nonprofit behind the competition was founded by Segway inventor Dean Kamen. Each year, student teams get … Continue reading “Teams From MA, RI, and CT Take Top Three Spots at Boston FIRST Robotics Competition”
Zixi Gets $4 Million
Zixi, a Waltham, MA-based startup developing software to better deliver HD Internet video content, announced it has raised a $4 million financing, led by Boston-based Schooner Capital. The deal also included former Scientific Atlanta chairman and CEO Sidney Topol, and Maurice Schonfeld, the co-founder and first chief executive of CNN and the founder and former … Continue reading “Zixi Gets $4 Million”
The VC65 Photo Gallery: Happy 65th Birthday, Venture Capital
In case you haven’t heard, we held a rocking 65th birthday party on Wednesday…for the venture capital industry. Nearly 1,000 attendees piled into MIT’s Kresge Auditorium for “VC65,” which Xconomy organized in partnership with the National Venture Capital Association and the MIT Museum. (NVCA bused over more than 500 VCs who were in Boston for … Continue reading “The VC65 Photo Gallery: Happy 65th Birthday, Venture Capital”
Westphal Leaving Glaxo, Cubist Settles Patent Litigation with Teva, BSX Buys S.I., & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
We saw news of personnel shifts, litigation, clinical progress, financing, and acquisitions from health IT firms, device makers, and drug companies in New England this week. —Waltham, MA-based Forerun, a developer of patient-charting software for emergency room doctors, raised $2 million in a Series C funding led by the Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation. —GlaxoSmithKline (NSYE: … Continue reading “Westphal Leaving Glaxo, Cubist Settles Patent Litigation with Teva, BSX Buys S.I., & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Akiban Adds $3.2M
Akiban Technologies, a Boston-based provider of database virtualization software for the cloud, has raised $3.2 million atop a $6.5 million financing it announced in July 2009, according to a filing amended with the SEC this week. North Bridge Venture Partners and Foundation Capital participated in the first part of the Series A round for the … Continue reading “Akiban Adds $3.2M”
EcoMotors, With Navistar as a Customer, Pushes Forward With New Engine
It’s been just over five months since I first met with Don Runkle, CEO of EcoMotors International, to discuss the big plan he’s had for his Allen Park, MI-based company’s opposing piston, opposing cylinder (“opoc”) engine. EcoMotors claims that the engine, which weighs less, uses fewer parts and is thus less expensive than traditional four-stroke … Continue reading “EcoMotors, With Navistar as a Customer, Pushes Forward With New Engine”
Send the Trend Snaps Up $2.5M
Send the Trend, a New York-based e-commerce startup focused on personalized fashion accessory recommendations, has raised $2.5 million of an equity-based funding round that could hit $3 million, an SEC filing shows. The money comes from two investors, according to the document. Send the Trend’s website names Christian Siriano, a previous winner of the television … Continue reading “Send the Trend Snaps Up $2.5M”