The robotics industry is at an inflection point. Self-driving cars, automated warehouses, and drone delivery systems are on the horizon. Commercial robots have become more capable and accessible, thanks to cheaper and more powerful sensors and computers, open-source software and hardware, and advances in 3D printing and connected devices. While giants like Google, Facebook, and … Continue reading “Join Us for Robo Madness West at SRI on April 7”
Author: Gregory T. Huang
Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003.
Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Find a Better Job With Artificial Intelligence: The Beansprock Story
It’s a great time to be a software developer. And to be using artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems. Combine those trends, and you have a company called Beansprock. The Boston startup is rolling out a new site today for software engineers looking for jobs. The idea is you sign up, tell the site what … Continue reading “Find a Better Job With Artificial Intelligence: The Beansprock Story”
Harvard i-lab Leader Leaving for Boise State to Revamp Education
The head of the Harvard Innovation Lab, Gordon Jones, has accepted a new position as dean of the College of Innovation and Design at Boise State University in Idaho. Jones will continue to serve as the lab’s managing director through the end of the academic year in June, and then head west. “This isn’t your … Continue reading “Harvard i-lab Leader Leaving for Boise State to Revamp Education”
RunKeeper Integrates With Spotify, Combines Music and Fitness
Running and music: two great pastimes that go great together. It’s no surprise that software is helping people connect those worlds. Boston-based RunKeeper has updated its iOS fitness-tracking app to integrate the streaming-music service Spotify. That means Spotify’s premium users can now access their playlists and listen to songs from within the RunKeeper app. Spotify … Continue reading “RunKeeper Integrates With Spotify, Combines Music and Fitness”
Mobile Health Adoption Growing Among Doctors, for Apps and Content
More than 80 percent of U.S. doctors surveyed use mobile apps or view professional content on mobile devices for work. That’s a significant increase over the numbers from around a year ago, according to a new survey. The main reasons for adoption? Improved patient care and communication, and time efficiency, doctors say. The survey was … Continue reading “Mobile Health Adoption Growing Among Doctors, for Apps and Content”
CloudBees Gets $23.5M More, New CA Headquarters and Focus
CloudBees looks a little different every time it raises money. Which is a good thing, since it’s a startup playing in a field with some big competitors. The company has raised $23.5 million in a growth-equity round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, a previous investor. Matrix Partners, Verizon Ventures, and Blue Cloud Ventures also participated … Continue reading “CloudBees Gets $23.5M More, New CA Headquarters and Focus”
New Cash for VMTurbo, CloudHealth Highlights Big Disruption in IT
Software for cloud-computing infrastructure and data centers is evolving fast. Two financing deals announced Wednesday for Boston startups underscore an important trend: there’s still a huge opportunity to challenge enterprise IT giants in the cloud. VMTurbo has raised $50 million in a Series D round from Iconiq Capital and previous investors Bain Capital Ventures, Globespan … Continue reading “New Cash for VMTurbo, CloudHealth Highlights Big Disruption in IT”
Empire Robotics Takes On Jimmy Fallon in Beer Pong
It’s not exactly the pinnacle of robotic achievement, but it is progress. And one heck of a fun demo. If you watched “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon on Friday, you might have seen it: Fallon playing beer pong against a robot. The machine is made by Boston-based startup Empire Robotics. It uses a flexible, … Continue reading “Empire Robotics Takes On Jimmy Fallon in Beer Pong”
Health IT Deals Keep Rolling With Athenahealth, MediSafe
Athenahealth, one of the Boston area’s anchor tenants in healthcare technology, is seeking new markets for its software, which handles billing and electronic medical records for healthcare providers and systems. The Watertown, MA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ATHN]]) said Wednesday it has acquired RazorInsights, an Atlanta-area startup that sells low-cost electronic health records software to rural and … Continue reading “Health IT Deals Keep Rolling With Athenahealth, MediSafe”
Houston, Austin, Raleigh, Denver Tops in U.S. for STEM Workers
All metro areas are not created equal. If you’re looking at job markets in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)—a major indicator of economic growth and innovation—the U.S. is a study in contrasts. That’s according to a survey by WalletHub, a financial information site based in Washington, DC. The analysis looked at metrics such as … Continue reading “Houston, Austin, Raleigh, Denver Tops in U.S. for STEM Workers”
Get Ready for Robo Madness Boston at Google, March 11
It’s a critical time for robotics and artificial intelligence companies. Once the domain of niche players and academic spinouts, the field has become more mainstream—and could be crucial to the future of big industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and transportation. Tech giants ranging from Google and Amazon to Facebook and Qualcomm have made big strides … Continue reading “Get Ready for Robo Madness Boston at Google, March 11”
PeerTransfer Doubles Down on Payments, Looks Beyond Edtech
A local tech startup has become profitable in the past year by focusing on the international higher-education market. Now it has raised a sizable venture round to go big in the broader field of digital payments. Boston-based peerTransfer has closed $22 million in Series C funding, led by new investor Bain Capital Ventures. Previous investors … Continue reading “PeerTransfer Doubles Down on Payments, Looks Beyond Edtech”
GE Ventures, Goldman Sachs Are New Investors in Rethink Robotics
Rethink Robotics is trying to become the preeminent robot company of its generation—and in doing so, reinvent the fields of manufacturing and logistics. The company certainly has interesting technology—a two-armed, dexterous robot named Baxter—but the question is whether it can gain widespread adoption in factories and warehouses, and if so, how quickly. Now the company … Continue reading “GE Ventures, Goldman Sachs Are New Investors in Rethink Robotics”
Par8o Picks Up $10.5M From Investors Moving Into Health IT
Get ready for an influx of venture funding in healthcare software. Especially to startups whose founders have prior experience at well-known companies. A case in point is Boston-area startup Par8o (“par-eight-oh”), which said today it has raised a $10.5 million Series A funding round. The company’s investors include Atlas Venture (the tech side of the … Continue reading “Par8o Picks Up $10.5M From Investors Moving Into Health IT”
The Man Behind SiteSpect’s Rise in Digital Marketing
In a world of Uber financings and 800 percent revenue growth curves, one startup founder won’t talk sales numbers, company valuations, or IPOs. He says his market opportunity is a billion-plus, not $10 billion. He takes $13 million from investors, not $100 million. And that’s after being self-funded and profitable for a decade, building a … Continue reading “The Man Behind SiteSpect’s Rise in Digital Marketing”
Amid Robotics Buzz, Rethink Retools With $27M More
Building a robotics company is expensive, but it could pay off in a big way. Just ask Rethink Robotics, which has added $26.6 million in venture funding to its war chest, which has totaled at least $100 million over several rounds. Rethink Robotics’ investors include Highland Capital Partners, Sigma Partners, CRV, Bezos Expeditions, and DFJ. … Continue reading “Amid Robotics Buzz, Rethink Retools With $27M More”
SiteSpect Scoops Up $13M After Decade of Bootstrapping
It’s a strategy we’ve seen before, from tech companies like Wayfair. Sign up loyal customers, make them happy, bootstrap yourself to profitability, expand your team—and then, after 10 years, take outside investment so you can grow faster. SiteSpect, a Web and mobile marketing software company based in Boston, is following that model, albeit at a … Continue reading “SiteSpect Scoops Up $13M After Decade of Bootstrapping”
How Should the Innovation Community Solve Its Gender and Diversity Problems?
It’s been one of the hottest-button topics of the past year—and it’s not going away anytime soon. The under-representation of women and minorities in technology and innovation jobs is a real issue, particularly at the highest levels of organizations. The question, as I see it, is what to do about it. But not everyone sees … Continue reading “How Should the Innovation Community Solve Its Gender and Diversity Problems?”
What Was the Biggest Surprise of 2014?
As we close out the year, we at Xconomy have been asking our network of sources and informal advisors (the Xconomists) a series of questions. An obvious but telling one was to inquire about the biggest surprise of 2014, from their point of view. We’ve been posting their answers on a variety of topics as … Continue reading “What Was the Biggest Surprise of 2014?”
5 Tips for Students to Get Ahead in Technology and Business
What advice would you give students interested in your field? That’s a question we posed to our network of Xconomists around the country. They range from academic leaders to startup founders to venture capitalists. What we found was that their answers were generally bigger than their particular field of expertise. Taken together, the tips provide … Continue reading “5 Tips for Students to Get Ahead in Technology and Business”
14 for ’14: Xconomy’s Top Innovation Stories of the Year
It has been quite a year for one-word headlines: Ebola, Sony, Uber, WhatsApp, to name a few. Behind those headlines are complex issues in business and technology that came to the fore in 2014. Things like impediments to vaccine development; mounting threats in cybersecurity and privacy; the regulatory and cultural struggles of high-flying startups; and … Continue reading “14 for ’14: Xconomy’s Top Innovation Stories of the Year”
Two Guys, a Connected Home, and Kickstarter: The Water Hero Story
[Updated, 12/24/14. See below] In a newfangled world of connected homes, crowdfunded projects, 3D printers, and mobile apps, it’s refreshing to see a couple of guys in their 50s put it all together and try to make something meaningful. I write not only in striking range of said demographic, but as a concerned citizen and … Continue reading “Two Guys, a Connected Home, and Kickstarter: The Water Hero Story”
From American Well to Venture Capitalists, Health IT on the Rise
Companies in healthcare IT have been percolating for the past five-plus years. Now, with the regulatory climate evolving and big companies like Apple getting more serious about health and wellness, it looks like 2015 could be when it’s all going to pop. Let’s connect a few dots: —American Well has raised $80 million in Series … Continue reading “From American Well to Venture Capitalists, Health IT on the Rise”
In New Era of Cyber Threats, Rapid7 Reloads With $30M
Cyber attacks and data breaches aren’t going away anytime soon. Neither are the technology companies trying to protect against them—nor the venture investors looking to cash in. Rapid7, a Boston-based company, says today it has raised $30 million more from previous investors Bain Capital Ventures and Technology Crossover Ventures. The deal brings its total funding … Continue reading “In New Era of Cyber Threats, Rapid7 Reloads With $30M”
Adelphic Advancing Mobile Ads With Apple Deal, New Funding
The field of mobile advertising has been evolving steadily but fairly quietly in the past year. Now startups are ready to make more noise, thanks in part to the world’s biggest tech company. Boston-area startup Adelphic says today it has raised $11 million in Series B venture money, which brings its total funding to $23 … Continue reading “Adelphic Advancing Mobile Ads With Apple Deal, New Funding”
Takeover Target Carbonite Acquiring MailStore for $19.8M
[Updated paragraph with more details, 11:10am] A new week, a new deal involving Carbonite. The Boston-based cloud backup company says it’s acquiring German e-mail archiving firm MailStore Software for 15.95 million euros, or about $19.8 million, in cash. The deal is expected to close this month and will add 20 employees to Carbonite, whose total … Continue reading “Takeover Target Carbonite Acquiring MailStore for $19.8M”
Big Events, Exits Raising Boston’s Innovation Profile at Year’s End
Boston’s stock as an innovation cluster is on the rise. At least in the eyes of the outside world. In addition to increased interest in the region’s technology and life sciences companies, there’s a critical mass of activity taking shape as we head into the new year. One notable effort: MIT Technology Review is organizing … Continue reading “Big Events, Exits Raising Boston’s Innovation Profile at Year’s End”
Backupify Bought by Datto Amid Consolidation in Cloud Companies
The cloud is a good place to build data-storage startups—but it’s also a sector that’s seeing a lot of companies get snapped up or fall by the wayside. Backupify, a six-year-old startup in Cambridge, MA, is getting acquired by Datto, a Connecticut-based data-protection company. The terms of the deal aren’t being disclosed, but the acquisition … Continue reading “Backupify Bought by Datto Amid Consolidation in Cloud Companies”
DataGravity Grabs $50M More to Combine Storage and Computing
Let’s hear it for Series C funding rounds in tech. In a tough year for mid-stage startup financing deals, at least one Boston-area company isn’t feeling a crunch. Its market sector has a lot to do with that. Nashua, NH-based enterprise IT startup DataGravity has raised a $50 million C round, led by new investor … Continue reading “DataGravity Grabs $50M More to Combine Storage and Computing”
Boston Heart Diagnostics Bought by Eurofins for $140M
Cubist isn’t the only life sciences acquisition in Boston today. Boston Heart Diagnostics, based in Framingham, MA, is getting bought by Eurofins for $140 million plus earn-outs of about $60 million based on achieving certain milestones. The deal is expected to be complete within 60 days. Boston Heart Diagnostics is led by CEO Susan Hertzberg … Continue reading “Boston Heart Diagnostics Bought by Eurofins for $140M”
Xfund Closes $100M Fund as Venture Firms and Universities Get Cozier
[Updated, 1:05pm] Big universities are trying to figure out this venture capital thing. Should they form partnerships with specific venture firms? Should they start their own funds and incubators? How best to do that? The latest exhibit is the venture firm Xfund (originally called Experiment Fund), which is affiliated with Harvard University and says it … Continue reading “Xfund Closes $100M Fund as Venture Firms and Universities Get Cozier”
Epidemics, Inequality, and Narcissism: Tech Agenda 2015 Highlights
If you were at the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology on Tuesday afternoon, you were in for a treat. Xconomy’s Tech Agenda 2015 conference hit on some of the most important trends to watch for in the coming year—across industries as diverse as robotics, security, e-commerce, venture capital, and big data. And from perspectives that … Continue reading “Epidemics, Inequality, and Narcissism: Tech Agenda 2015 Highlights”
ThinkingPhones Calls Up $56M to Unify Communications in the Mobile Age
The world of business communications is changing fast with the proliferation of mobile devices, cloud-based software, and video systems. One Boston-area company has been evolving with those trends, and now it has a lot more money to expand. Cambridge, MA-based Thinking Phone Networks has raised $56.7 million in a Series D financing led by Technology … Continue reading “ThinkingPhones Calls Up $56M to Unify Communications in the Mobile Age”
Mobile-First Comes to Daily Fantasy Sports Games, With Draft
Coming off the Thanksgiving weekend of football action, it’s a good time to look at the future of online fantasy sports. Two tech companies, DraftKings and FanDuel, own the vast majority of the daily-game market, where people bet real money on the performance of athletes they choose for their “teams.” But there’s still room in … Continue reading “Mobile-First Comes to Daily Fantasy Sports Games, With Draft”
Startups in the ‘Burbs: TechSandBox Plans Accelerator Outside 128
Despite all the startup accelerators and education programs out there, it’s hard to name any in the suburbs that target an older, more experienced demographic. That could be about to change. TechSandBox, a year-old co-working space in Hopkinton, MA, is making plans to start an accelerator program that would admit about eight companies and provide … Continue reading “Startups in the ‘Burbs: TechSandBox Plans Accelerator Outside 128”
How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Tap the Ways
These days you can post updates about your life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many other social media sites. You can send e-mails for private or targeted messages. You can text someone if it’s urgent (God forbid you actually talk to them). Indeed, we seem better connected to people we care about than ever before. … Continue reading “How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Tap the Ways”
John Maeda Talks Leadership, Learning, and Legacy From RISD to KPCB
What do you do after running one of the world’s most prestigious art schools? If you’re John Maeda, you dive into venture capital and startups—and find that the world moves even faster than you thought. Maeda, 48, is a computer scientist, author, and graphic designer who was president of the Rhode Island School of Design … Continue reading “John Maeda Talks Leadership, Learning, and Legacy From RISD to KPCB”
Investors Double Down on InsightSquared and Business Analytics
Business intelligence is coming to the masses—and one local company is cashing in. InsightSquared hasn’t “squared” its money yet, but it has doubled it. The Cambridge, MA, software startup has closed a $13.5 million Series C funding round that matches its total raised previously. The new money comes from Atlas Venture, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, NextView … Continue reading “Investors Double Down on InsightSquared and Business Analytics”
Bikes, Bitcoin, and the Next Billion: Techstars Boston Diversifies
Techstars has become something of a startup institution, now operating in 15 cities. The tech accelerator can still hold a surprise or two, though. At the program’s eighth demo day in Boston—has it really been that many?—an increasingly international flavor was on display. Founders hailed from Croatia, France, Russia, Hong Kong, the U.K., and Australia, … Continue reading “Bikes, Bitcoin, and the Next Billion: Techstars Boston Diversifies”
PopTech Rebels Rage Against the Tech Machine, From Within
The coastal town of Camden, Maine, is a beautiful setting in late October, even in a Nor’easter. The drive takes three and a half hours from Boston—a little longer in the pouring rain—but once you get there, it feels very far from the daily rat race. The Camden Opera House, built in 1894, is the … Continue reading “PopTech Rebels Rage Against the Tech Machine, From Within”
Wanderu Adds $5.6M, Wants to Become Big Consumer Travel Brand
Is consumer tech finally taking off in the Boston startup community? The broad answer still seems to be no. The city’s enterprise-focused roots remain dominant. But there are exceptions. Wanderu is one of them. The online travel-search company has just raised a $5.6 million Series A funding round led by new investor Metamorphic Ventures. Other … Continue reading “Wanderu Adds $5.6M, Wants to Become Big Consumer Travel Brand”
Dublin’s Startup Commish Brings Lesson in Buzz From NYC
If you ask people to name the top startup clusters in Europe, most will say London and Berlin. But Dublin is growing—and starting to become better known. That may be obvious this week, as the city is hosting its annual Web Summit that draws thousands of attendees and tech celebrities, but it wasn’t always this … Continue reading “Dublin’s Startup Commish Brings Lesson in Buzz From NYC”
Irish Venture Capitalists Talk Local Challenges, Think Global
Some of the best stuff I learned in Dublin, I learned from venture capitalists. That’s not always the case, depending on the city. A simple lunch with Brian Caulfield, a local partner with DFJ Esprit, taught me the following: —Talent is flowing between multinational corporations and Irish startups, in both directions. The big tech companies … Continue reading “Irish Venture Capitalists Talk Local Challenges, Think Global”
The Future of Dublin Tech, Part 2: Startups Look West, Grow Diverse
Just up the stairs from Munchies, a sandwich shop owned by his mother, Ben Harris shows me his startup’s digs. It has the intense feel of people getting stuff done on deadline. Ten employees cram into one room, a mix of young programmers, designers, and business folks. Harris’s startup is called Drop, and it’s getting … Continue reading “The Future of Dublin Tech, Part 2: Startups Look West, Grow Diverse”
Craft Beer and Coffee: The Rise of Dublin’s Innovation Culture
Seamus O’Hara made the career leap from life sciences venture capitalist to full-time craft beer brewer. A more lucrative industry? Perhaps. O’Hara’s brewery is in County Carlow, about an hour south of Dublin. He started the Carlow Brewing Company with his brother in 1998, while working in the biotech sector. Back then, Ireland’s only other … Continue reading “Craft Beer and Coffee: The Rise of Dublin’s Innovation Culture”
The Future of Dublin Tech, Part 1: U.S. Firms Tout Market, Talent
If it were warmer, the Docklands area of Dublin could almost pass for a mini Silicon Valley. In the span of a mile or two, you’ll come across the massive offices of Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other international Web giants. These companies employ hundreds, and in some cases, thousands, of people in Dublin. And … Continue reading “The Future of Dublin Tech, Part 1: U.S. Firms Tout Market, Talent”
John Maeda on PopTech and VC Life: “Conferences Are the New College”
The 18th annual PopTech conference starts this Thursday in Camden, ME, and design luminary John Maeda is psyched. Maeda organized this year’s gathering of innovators, artists, and scientists. He’s a technologist and recovering academic who recently dived into the world of venture capital. Maeda joined VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as “design partner” … Continue reading “John Maeda on PopTech and VC Life: “Conferences Are the New College””
Boston Tech Tidbits: Digital Guardian, MassChallenge, Nara, Quantopian
Lots going on in the Boston tech startup scene this week: —Accelerator program MassChallenge announced its top 26 startups that are competing for prize money. The awards ceremony is Oct. 29, and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is keynoting. —Nara Logics has raised $6 million more from .406 Ventures and other investors. The Cambridge, MA, startup, … Continue reading “Boston Tech Tidbits: Digital Guardian, MassChallenge, Nara, Quantopian”
EverTrue Expands, Raises $8M More for Alumni Donor Tools
Perhaps it’s no surprise that a tech company that’s all about alumni fundraising knows how to fundraise itself. Boston startup EverTrue has closed an $8 million Series B financing round led by previous investor Bain Capital Ventures, with some of the money coming from Silicon Valley Bank. The 40-person company has raised a total of … Continue reading “EverTrue Expands, Raises $8M More for Alumni Donor Tools”
CommonAngels Ventures Raises $26.5M Fund in Shifting VC Landscape
There’s a newly raised tech-investment fund in town. Is it an angel fund or a venture fund? A bit of both, actually. But it’s been moving toward the latter. CommonAngels, the Boston-area angel investment group, has closed its fourth fund at $26.5 million. It has also officially changed its name to CommonAngels Ventures. (Disclosure: CommonAngels … Continue reading “CommonAngels Ventures Raises $26.5M Fund in Shifting VC Landscape”