Boston-based ConnectEDU, a technology firm that specializes in online tools for college admissions and career planning, announced in a press release that it has surpassed its projected $5 million goal for its Series C funding round. The company states that it has raised $8.2 million with the help of previous investors, the names of which … Continue reading “ConnectEDU Closes $8.2M Series C Round”
Author: Roxanne Palmer
Roxanne Palmer is interning at Xconomy's Boston office this summer. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in science and medical Journalism at Boston University after graduating from Brown in 2008 with a degree in English. Her thesis was on Herman Melville's Civil War poetry.
When not chronicling the ups and downs of Boston's tech industry, Roxanne enjoys drawing, swimming, and birdwatching.
Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/roxannedpalmer, or email her at [email protected].
EcoDog’s Home Energy Monitoring Product Sniffs Out Energy Savings
Fido just might be a homeowner’s new best friend. The watchdog in question isn’t a vigilant Doberman or German Shepard, but rather the flagship product of EcoDog, a home energy-monitoring start-up based in Vista, CA. The device connects to a home circuit breaker and delivers real-time information on the home’s energy usage. One nifty aspect … Continue reading “EcoDog’s Home Energy Monitoring Product Sniffs Out Energy Savings”
Awesome Foundation Looking For Offbeat Ideas That Need a $1,000 Boost
Flame-thrower enthusiasts and giant dinosaur puppet-makers of the world, rejoice. The Awesome Foundation for Arts and Sciences wants to support your efforts. Starting in July, the new Cambridge, MA-based “microtrust” will be giving out one grant each month in the spirit of supporting creations that evoke “surprise and delight.” The application process is simple: explain … Continue reading “Awesome Foundation Looking For Offbeat Ideas That Need a $1,000 Boost”
5AM Ventures Beats Goal for 3rd Fund
5AM Ventures, a life sciences-focused early stage venture capital firm, has surpassed its $150 million target for its third fund, reports PE Hub. An SEC filing that indicates 5AM, which has offices in Waltham, MA, and Menlo Park, CA, has raised $159.2 million from 34 investors. Companies in the firm’s portfolio include Pulmatrix, a Lexington, … Continue reading “5AM Ventures Beats Goal for 3rd Fund”
Biogen Gets Int’l Rights to Acorda’s MS Drug
Cambridge, MA drug giant Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) and Hawthorne, NY-based Acorda Therapeutics (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ACOR]]) announced today that Biogen Idec has acquired the rights to develop and commercialize Acorda’s multiple sclerosis drug, Fampridine-SR, in markets outside the U.S. Acorda will receive an upfront payment of $110 million and additional payments of up to $400 million, and retains … Continue reading “Biogen Gets Int’l Rights to Acorda’s MS Drug”
Powering Cleantech to Market: Highlights from the XSITE Energy Panel
[Corrected 7/1/09] The atmosphere at last Wednesday’s XSITE energy breakout session was electric—clean electric, that is. The topic of the hour was the future and feasibility of wind, solar, and other alternative energy industries in New England. Rob Day, president of the Renewable Energy Business Network, moderated the panel, which included Jay Fiske (a VP … Continue reading “Powering Cleantech to Market: Highlights from the XSITE Energy Panel”
Amazon Pulls the Plug on Rhode Island Affiliates
Seattle’s mighty Amazon isn’t feeling too friendly toward the Ocean State. This morning, the online retail giant sent out a terse notice to its Rhode Island affiliates, informing them that their accounts were closed effective June 29th, due to impending changes to the state’s tax laws that apply to certain online purchases. This echoes a … Continue reading “Amazon Pulls the Plug on Rhode Island Affiliates”
Biogen Reports 10th PML Case in Tysabri Patient
Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) reported a tenth case of a serious brain infection in a patient taking Tysabri, the Cambridge, MA-based company’s drug for multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease. The news was disclosed late last Friday on the company’s website (pdf here). Luke wrote back in December about the history of Tysabri, which was pulled from … Continue reading “Biogen Reports 10th PML Case in Tysabri Patient”
Life Science Leaders Converge in Newport, PubGet Gets Your Paper Faster, I-Therapeutix Eyes $15M Prize & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
Our Seattle compatriots have all arrived in Boston for XSITE. We wish we could say they brought the rain with them, but in fact, Boston has been far wetter than Seattle all month. The week’s life sciences news, however, isn’t quite the downpour you’ve all been dealing with outside. —Wide-roaming correspondent Ryan McBride took in … Continue reading “Life Science Leaders Converge in Newport, PubGet Gets Your Paper Faster, I-Therapeutix Eyes $15M Prize & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
TruFan Swings For the Fences
Rafe Anderson is moving up into the big leagues. His sports social media network, TruFan, officially goes national today. TruFan grew out of a collection of websites—Sawxheads, Celtsheads, and Blackandgoldheads—which focused solely on Boston teams. Now the national network will include 122 communities for clubs across the country, spanning Major League Baseball, the National Football … Continue reading “TruFan Swings For the Fences”
Axis Semiconductor Snags $1M
Marlborough, MA-based signaling company Axis Semiconductor has completed half of a proposed $2,050,000 equity financing round, according to an SEC filing. No details on the investors were provided, par for the course for the company, which has been in stealth mode since its incorporation in 2007. Three members of Axis’ board of directors, including the … Continue reading “Axis Semiconductor Snags $1M”
Xconomy Survey Finds Cautious Economic XSITE-ment
Ladies and gentlemen, Xconomy readers have spoken, and the view is optimistic. We posed several questions about what the coming year will bring for the economy as people registered for our June 24 Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (XSITE). The recovery, they think, will start soon: 24 percent of the first 130 respondents … Continue reading “Xconomy Survey Finds Cautious Economic XSITE-ment”
Mass High Tech Goes Biweekly
New England technology and business newspaper Mass High Tech is moving from a weekly to a biweekly print publishing schedule effective in September, publisher Michael Olivieri said yesterday. The Boston Globe reported that MHT laid off four employees in the restructuring, which will see the paper shift from 24 pages a week to 32 pages … Continue reading “Mass High Tech Goes Biweekly”
Interlace Sews Up $20.5M Series C Round
Framingham, MA-based Interlace Medical, which develops medical devices for gynecologists, announced today it has raised $20.5 million in Series C funding. The round was led by Baird Venture Partners and HLM Venture Partners and included new investors Hambrecht & Quist Capital Management and Aperture Venture Partners. Previous backers New Leaf Venture Partners and Spray Venture … Continue reading “Interlace Sews Up $20.5M Series C Round”
Innovation A-Brewin’ At The XSITE Pre-Party
Two weeks before the best damn innovation conference on either side of the Charles, Xconomy and friends flocked to the Cambridge Brewing Company Wednesday night, and Kendall Square was awash in a spirit of brotherhood and appreciation of innovation. Incidentally, there was plenty of beer. Judging by the levels in the taps (and glasses), the … Continue reading “Innovation A-Brewin’ At The XSITE Pre-Party”
DIGMA Aims To Boost Bay State’s Design Economy
Design isn’t just about deciding which shade of taupe to paint City Hall or whether to make a water bottle square or round. It can mean the difference between comprehension (think iPhone) and confusion (think butterfly ballot). A new multidisciplinary organization launched yesterday is out to promote the importance of the Bay State’s design industries, … Continue reading “DIGMA Aims To Boost Bay State’s Design Economy”
Canditto—A Wedding Crasher That Shares The Love
Four years ago, Rush Hambleton and his wife left their wedding reception on a restored 1962 Vespa motor scooter. The professional photographer missed it. But luckily, an aunt just happened to catch the shot on her digital camera, and eventually sent the couple a print. The Vespa image, Hambleton says, was “the” shot of the … Continue reading “Canditto—A Wedding Crasher That Shares The Love”
Gather Nets $5.3 M
Gather, a Boston-headquartered social networking site aimed at users over 30, announced today that it has raised $5.3 million in equity financing. Major investors in the round include Allen & Company, American Public Media, Jim Manzi (former CEO of the Lotus Development Corporation), Jack Connors (former CEO of Hill Holiday), Kevin McClatchy, Andrew Tobias, and … Continue reading “Gather Nets $5.3 M”
Noble Environmental Power Pulls IPO
Noble Environmental Power, an Essex, CT-based wind energy company, has withdrawn its planned for an IPO. The offering, initially filed in May 2008, was to include some 23.4 million shares worth up to $375 million. In its filing today, Noble said withdrawing the offering “is consistent with the public interest and protection of investors.” The … Continue reading “Noble Environmental Power Pulls IPO”
Icahn Nominees Claim Victory on Two of Four Open Seats to Biogen Idec Board, Vote Still Not Official
[Update, 3:05 pm Eastern] Billionaire investor Carl Icahn’s representatives say they have pulled out a victory in their proxy contest with Biogen Idec, winning two of the four seats that were up for grabs in a shareholder election. The official results weren’t yet announced, as the company adjourned the annual shareholder meeting without declaring who … Continue reading “Icahn Nominees Claim Victory on Two of Four Open Seats to Biogen Idec Board, Vote Still Not Official”
Inside the Biogen Idec Shareholder Meeting, Tensions Flare as Icahn Accuses Company of “Hijacking” Vote
[Updated with Bloomberg comment at 12:55 pm Eastern] Tensions at the Biogen Idec annual shareholders meeting are palpable. Representatives from billionaire investor Carl Icahn have twice called for the polls to be closed—once before CEO James Mullen gave a speech, and a second time before an unscheduled recess was called at approximately 11 am. The … Continue reading “Inside the Biogen Idec Shareholder Meeting, Tensions Flare as Icahn Accuses Company of “Hijacking” Vote”
Clinical Data Touts Antidepressant Trial Data
Newton, MA-based Clinical Data (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CLDA]]), announced positive results from the second Phase III trial of its antidepressant, vilazodone. In a study of 481 patients, the drug reduced depression symptoms, was well tolerated, and did not seem to result in sexual side effects; the results were similar to those from the first Phase III trial, which … Continue reading “Clinical Data Touts Antidepressant Trial Data”
Cape Cod Wind Farm Nears Final Approval
Soon, you really won’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing in Massachusetts (or one part of the state, anyway)—all you’ll have to do is look for the spinning turbines in Nantucket Sound. Last week, the state’s Energy Facilities Siting Board voted unanimously to grant Cape Wind Associates all necessary state … Continue reading “Cape Cod Wind Farm Nears Final Approval”
Notes On A Startup: WebNotes Goes Pro
When Ryan Damico was an undergraduate at MIT, he attended a training session at the university’s library. Ostensibly, the students were being taught how to properly organize sources for research papers. But it turned out to be a session on how to copy blocks of text from websites and paste them into Word documents, and … Continue reading “Notes On A Startup: WebNotes Goes Pro”
Proteon Adds $12M To B Round
Waltham, MA-based Proteon Therapeutics, which specializes in drug development for kidney and vascular diseases, announced today that it has completed a second closing for its Series B equity financing round. $12 million primarily came from new investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Devon Park Bioventures, raising the total for the round to $50 million. Vectis Healthcare … Continue reading “Proteon Adds $12M To B Round”
Honoring Catalysts For Girls’ Science Education
In the 1960s, there weren’t many role models a little black girl interested in science could relate to. As a child, Evelynn Hammonds, who would become the first black female Dean of Harvard College, looked up to the Lt. Uhura character from Star Trek. Today’s generation, said the dean, will have slightly more realistic women … Continue reading “Honoring Catalysts For Girls’ Science Education”
Brad Feld’s Latest Investment: Students
Yet another Boston-area innovation institution has been hit by the recession: the summer internship. Jackie Wilbur, the director of the Career Development Office at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, says that in this year’s tight job market, many local startups that would ordinarily take on Sloan students as summer interns simply can’t afford it. Enter … Continue reading “Brad Feld’s Latest Investment: Students”
Evergreen Solar Commences $60M Public Offering
Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ESLR]]), a manufacturer of low-cost silicon-based solar power products, will offer $60 million in common stock, the Marlboro, MA-based company announced today. Proceeds from the offering are intended for the construction of a new factory in Wuhan, China, and the expansion of a facility in Midland, Michigan. Last year Evergreen closed its Marlboro, … Continue reading “Evergreen Solar Commences $60M Public Offering”
Elixir Raises $12 Million, Says Drug Trial Could Lead to Novartis Purchase
Two major pieces of news from Elixir Pharmaceuticals today: first, the Cambridge, MA-based drug maker has just completed a $12 million round of equity financing led by MPM Capital, which joins current investors ARCH Venture Partners, Oxford Bioscience Partners, the Omega Fund and Physic Ventures. Kenneth Greenberg from MPM Capital will join Elixir’s Board of … Continue reading “Elixir Raises $12 Million, Says Drug Trial Could Lead to Novartis Purchase”
Today’s XSITEing News: Beer and Prizes
Signing up for XSITE 2009, Xconomy’s Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship on June 24, ensures your access to the biggest showcase of New England technological ingenuity on either side of the Charles. Signing up early has even more benefits—and by benefits, I mean beer. And prizes. That’s because the first 50 paid registrants to … Continue reading “Today’s XSITEing News: Beer and Prizes”
Knome Offers Thriftier Gene Sequencing
Knome, a personal genomics startups located in Cambridge, MA, announced today the launch of its newest product, a partial genome sequencing package called KnomeSELECT. The service will cost $24,500 for individuals, but is discounted to $19,500 per person for couples and family groups. The firm’s more comprehensive whole-genome sequencing service, KnomeCOMPLETE, costs $99,000. Rather than … Continue reading “Knome Offers Thriftier Gene Sequencing”
Oracle Forges Plan To Acquire Virtual Iron, MA Gets $25M For Wind Turbine Testing Facility, NBC’s Peacock Equity Fund Crows Over EveryZing, & More Boston-Area Deals News
The climate in Boston this week was neither steamy nor stormy. Likewise, the week in deals was a little bit hot and a little bit cold —with not much on either extreme. —Oracle flexed its muscle in Massachusetts, acquiring Lowell, MA-based Virtual Iron for an undisclosed sum. Virtual Iron specializes in virtualization technology, which allows … Continue reading “Oracle Forges Plan To Acquire Virtual Iron, MA Gets $25M For Wind Turbine Testing Facility, NBC’s Peacock Equity Fund Crows Over EveryZing, & More Boston-Area Deals News”