Austin and San Antonio—Technology, of course, gives us all greater access to information than ever before. In the context of security, however, that’s often a big problem. Companies have historically set up boundaries around the information they’re trying to protect—firewalls and virtual private networks that either aim to keep unwanted people out or allow restricted … Continue reading “Modeled After Google’s, ScaleFT Security Tech Entices Rackspace, VCs”
Category: San Francisco
Immunotherapy Shakeup: AstraZeneca Inks Merck Deal as Drug Combo Fails
Despite all the great progress made harnessing the immune system to fight cancer, there is still much work to be done to maximize its potential. The latest evidence: disappointing results today from a roughly 1,100-patient study called “Mystic,” a highly anticipated trial from AstraZeneca testing a combination of immunotherapies in newly diagnosed lung cancer patients. … Continue reading “Immunotherapy Shakeup: AstraZeneca Inks Merck Deal as Drug Combo Fails”
Foxconn to Build Plant in WI, Giving Support to Trump’s Jobs Pledges
After weeks of hints, rumors, and speculation, it’s now official: Foxconn, the world’s largest contract manufacturer, said it will invest $10 billion over the next three years to build an enormous plant in Southeastern Wisconsin and make electronics displays there. President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and several Wisconsin politicians, including Gov. Scott Walker … Continue reading “Foxconn to Build Plant in WI, Giving Support to Trump’s Jobs Pledges”
Judge Increases Award to WARF in Apple Patent Case to $506M
A federal judge ruled earlier this week that Apple must pay an additional $272 million to the organization that manages patents and licensing of intellectual property for the University of Wisconsin-Madison for infringing one of its patents, according to court documents. The additional award follows a court ruling in October 2015 ordering Cupertino, CA-based Apple … Continue reading “Judge Increases Award to WARF in Apple Patent Case to $506M”
Dallas IoT Software Maker Prodea Acquires California Rival Arrayent
Dallas—Prodea Systems, a suburban Dallas maker of Internet-connected software, has acquired a California-based competitor, Arrayent. “There are more and more services and systems and devices that would become smart and try to deliver information,” Anousheh Ansari, Prodea’s co-founder and CEO, said in an interview. “For example, we have connected dishwashers and refrigerators, but none of … Continue reading “Dallas IoT Software Maker Prodea Acquires California Rival Arrayent”
VR Startup Visbit Adds Support for Game Site Unity, and a Web Player
For filmmakers and game designers, virtual reality technology has created a quirky playground of the imagination where characters can actually run into themselves at a bar, and where viewers’ eyebrows can be made invisible to widen their views of the sky. Meanwhile, more practical folk are creating the technical tools that make it easier for … Continue reading “VR Startup Visbit Adds Support for Game Site Unity, and a Web Player”
Illumina Accelerator Sees ‘Huge Impact in Genomics’ in New Startups
Genomics startups are increasing in number and quality, so much so that three-year-old Illumina Accelerator has expanded with its latest class to accommodate five of them. Xconomy got an early look at the specialty accelerator’s sixth cohort, which includes a company named for a butterfly and the accelerator’s first digital health startup. Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]), … Continue reading “Illumina Accelerator Sees ‘Huge Impact in Genomics’ in New Startups”
Convoy Raises $62M From Gates, Y Combinator for Trucking Marketplace
Convoy, a startup trying to modernize the way truck drivers connect with customers, just got a $62 million boost from investors including the Y Combinator Continuity Fund and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. The Seattle startup, which makes technology that would automate the work of freight brokerages and dispatchers, announced the Series B funding round that … Continue reading “Convoy Raises $62M From Gates, Y Combinator for Trucking Marketplace”
Effector Raises $38.6M to Advance New Class of Anti-Cancer Drugs
San Diego’s Effector Therapeutics, a five-year-old cancer drug developer, has raised $38.6 million in new venture capital funding. The Series C financing, led by Pfizer Venture Investments, brings total funding for Effector to about $150 million, CEO Steve Worland said late Monday. The company said it plans to use the new funding to advance testing … Continue reading “Effector Raises $38.6M to Advance New Class of Anti-Cancer Drugs”
Merck Drug Shows No Life-Extending Benefit in Head-and-Neck Cancer
The first immunotherapy approved in the U.S. to treat head and neck cancer has failed a big test, but it’s unclear if the FDA will exercise its right to pull it from the market. Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) announced late Monday that its blockbuster cancer drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) did not meet its main goal of helping … Continue reading “Merck Drug Shows No Life-Extending Benefit in Head-and-Neck Cancer”
Eli Lilly Pays Nektar $150M Up Front For Autoimmune Drug Rights
Nektar Therapeutics has been buoyed of late by the progress of a potential pain drug, but another, much earlier program has caught the eye of Eli Lilly, which has agreed to write the San Francisco company a $150 million check to help bring the therapy through clinical testing. Depending on the progress of the drug … Continue reading “Eli Lilly Pays Nektar $150M Up Front For Autoimmune Drug Rights”
With Helix’s Help, Lose It Adds Genetic Insights to Weight Loss App
Does your genetic code contain information that can help you lose weight? It’s a serious question in science, and in business. Now, the makers of Lose It aim to find out. The nine-year-old mobile app—from Boston-based parent company FitNow—was early in the field of using smartphones to log workouts and meals, and track progress toward … Continue reading “With Helix’s Help, Lose It Adds Genetic Insights to Weight Loss App”
$200M Invested For a Global Network of Indoor Farms? That’s Plenty
Agtech startup Plenty has reeled in $200 million in financing as the company presses forward on its plans to build a global network of indoor vertical farms. Softbank Vision Fund of Japan led the Series B funding round for South San Francisco, CA-based Plenty. The round included investments from affiliates of Louis Bacon, the founder … Continue reading “$200M Invested For a Global Network of Indoor Farms? That’s Plenty”
Bio Roundup: Obamacare Persists, FDA Approves, Vertex Wows & More
The attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act took a major hit this week from Senate GOP holdouts who said the Better Care Reconciliation Act either tore down Medicaid too much or left too much of the ACA in place. A straight-up repeal, floated by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, was also shot … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Obamacare Persists, FDA Approves, Vertex Wows & More”
New Frontier: Space Center Crowdfunds for Mission Control Facelift
[Updated 7/25/17 5:18 pm. See below.] Houston—Houston, Mission Control has a problem. The storied control room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston—recognizable to many of us from 1960s news clips of the dawn of the Space Age––is in need of a face-lift. And so, Space Center Houston, the visitor’s center for the JSC, has turned … Continue reading “New Frontier: Space Center Crowdfunds for Mission Control Facelift”
Christopher Ahlberg: The Full Xconomy Voices Interview
The second episode of Xconomy’s new podcast, Xconomy Voices, features Recorded Future co-founder and CEO Christopher Ahlberg. His Somerville, MA-based cybersecurity company monitors both the public, visible Web and the Internet’s darker corners for “threat intelligence” that can help its clients prepare for, and fend off, cyber attacks. Ahlberg’s background in data analytics and his … Continue reading “Christopher Ahlberg: The Full Xconomy Voices Interview”
A.I. Prizes, Coming to Healthcare, Hit $1M Mark in Cancer Contests
This story is part of an Xconomy series on artificial intelligence in healthcare. Some of the other stories cover a genomics hackathon, A.I. and radiology, and the impact on doctors and patients. In the classic 1967 film “The Graduate,” Dustin Hoffman’s just-out-of-college character gets one word of career advice from a family friend: plastics. In … Continue reading “A.I. Prizes, Coming to Healthcare, Hit $1M Mark in Cancer Contests”
SoftBank-Led $114M Round Puts Qualcomm’s Brain Corp. on New Path
San Diego’s Brain Corp., founded in 2009 as a Qualcomm-incubated startup to develop software and computer systems that emulate the human brain, seems to have found a new path forward. SoftBank’s new Vision Fund has led a $114 million investment to advance the company’s artificial intelligence technology. Qualcomm Ventures, which previously invested about $11 million … Continue reading “SoftBank-Led $114M Round Puts Qualcomm’s Brain Corp. on New Path”
Xconomy Voices, Episode 2: Christopher Ahlberg of Recorded Future
On our new Xconomy Voices podcast, we find the smartest, most successful entrepreneurs and innovators in Xconomy’s network of cities and regions, and we ask them to open up about what they’re working on, what they’re excited about, and why they think their company, product, or idea is going to take the world by storm. … Continue reading “Xconomy Voices, Episode 2: Christopher Ahlberg of Recorded Future”
Google Glass Upgrades to Business Class, With Enterprise Edition
When Ian Shakil co-founded a company in 2012 to deploy Google Glass in doctor’s offices, his team had never possessed a set of the computer-enhanced eyewear that Google debuted that year. Google wasn’t yet selling the augmented reality glasses, which were being touted as the next big thing in consumer electronics, not as business tools. … Continue reading “Google Glass Upgrades to Business Class, With Enterprise Edition”
What Internet Pioneer Vint Cerf Sees in San Diego (and Other Hubs)
The Internet pioneer Vinton Cerf came to San Diego recently on an unusual quest—to meet with dozens of local technology leaders and assess what the region has to offer in terms of innovation. It was Veni, Vidi, Vinti. He came. He saw. He Cerfed. The visit was unusual in part because of Cerf himself. As … Continue reading “What Internet Pioneer Vint Cerf Sees in San Diego (and Other Hubs)”
Y Combinator Mulls New Startup App—Rating VCs on Sexual Harassment
Y Combinator, a Silicon Valley hub that incubates and funds scores of tech startups every year, is entering the fray over sexual harassment in the venture capital industry. YC has opened an online reporting mechanism that women can use to identify venture capital firm partners or executives who have pressured them for sex or groped … Continue reading “Y Combinator Mulls New Startup App—Rating VCs on Sexual Harassment”
Techstars Mobility Announces 2017 Class, New Industry Partners
The Detroit-based Techstars Mobility program announces its third cohort today, and managing director Ted Serbinski says it’s the most international class yet with startups from five countries. There are also new corporate partners coming on board and additions to the accelerator’s in-house support staff, including two people who have relocated to the Motor City from … Continue reading “Techstars Mobility Announces 2017 Class, New Industry Partners”
Seattle Tech Delegation Heads to Japan, Seeking A.I. Business
Eleven Seattle-area tech companies are heading to Japan this week, carrying with them this region’s credentials in artificial intelligence in hopes of winning new business. The visit follows five meetups organized in Seattle over the last two years in which representatives of large Japanese corporations have heard pitches and discussed business deals with Northwest companies. … Continue reading “Seattle Tech Delegation Heads to Japan, Seeking A.I. Business”
How NEA Envisions the Future of Trucking, Transportation, and A.I.
The big Silicon Valley venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is investing in the workaday business of freight load hauling, which could hardly seem more different from the future-bending tech projects that have attracted VC money for decades. But NEA’s leading role in the $42 million Series C financing round announced this week by … Continue reading “How NEA Envisions the Future of Trucking, Transportation, and A.I.”
Bio Roundup: PDUFA Progress, BCRA Redux, CAR-T Thumbs Up, & More
Government and industry are rife with awkward acronyms. Take PDUFA, for example. First passed in 1992, the Prescription Drug User Fee Act allows the FDA to collect fees from biopharmaceutical companies when they apply for drug approval; those funds are designated for the regulator’s drug evaluation work. Congress must reauthorize the law every five years … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: PDUFA Progress, BCRA Redux, CAR-T Thumbs Up, & More”
Mayo Clinic and Boston Software Maker Add Qrativ to Busy A.I. Sector
This story is part of an ongoing series on A.I. in healthcare. Artificial intelligence systems have become a trendy, but useful means of extracting meaning out of the troves of scientific research and clinical data that institutions produce every year. Startups from San Francisco to Boston have launched with the goal of helping pharmaceutical companies … Continue reading “Mayo Clinic and Boston Software Maker Add Qrativ to Busy A.I. Sector”
Bevi Slurps $16.5M to Bring “Smart Water Cooler” to More Offices
Add high-tech, healthy beverage dispensers to the list of trendy office perks. About three years ago, Boston-based startup Bevi launched its tech-enabled take on the traditional water cooler by installing an initial batch of about a dozen of its machines at local offices. Since then, the company says around 1,000 of the Internet-connected beverage kiosks … Continue reading “Bevi Slurps $16.5M to Bring “Smart Water Cooler” to More Offices”
Silicon Valley Edtech Companies AcademixDirect and PathSource Merge
AcademixDirect, which helps state and community colleges enroll students, has merged with PathSource, which operates a career exploration app that helps adults and kids figure out what jobs they’d like to do. PathSource CEO Aaron Michel, who co-founded the Burlingame, CA, company in 2011, says the merger creates an end-to-end process from career search through … Continue reading “Silicon Valley Edtech Companies AcademixDirect and PathSource Merge”
NEA Leads $42M Round For AI-Enhanced Freight Booking Startup Transfix
Transfix, a New York tech startup with an online marketplace that organizes freight truck shipments, says it has scored $42 million in a Series C financing round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Transfix, founded in 2013, relies on machine learning and other data analytics tools to distinguish itself in the crowded arena of freight … Continue reading “NEA Leads $42M Round For AI-Enhanced Freight Booking Startup Transfix”
Unanimous Advice To FDA: Approve Landmark CAR-T Cancer Therapy
The first ever approval of a new kind of cancer immunotherapy called CAR-T is one step closer. A 10-member panel of doctors and researchers who advise the Food and Drug Administration recommended with a rare unanimous vote that the agency approve a treatment for kids and young adults with a severe form of leukemia who … Continue reading “Unanimous Advice To FDA: Approve Landmark CAR-T Cancer Therapy”
E-Scape Unveils $63M for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Drug Research
Neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease have stymied the efforts of many pharmaceutical companies to develop treatments that stem the decline in brain function. E-Scape Bio is taking a different tack with drugs that it says could address the root cause of degenerative brain disorders. E-Scape’s approach has caught the eye of investors who have … Continue reading “E-Scape Unveils $63M for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Drug Research”
Artale Forced Out of VC Firm Ignition Partners After Misconduct Complaints
[Updated 7/13/17, 3:05 p.m. See below.] Ignition Partners, a venture capital firm based in Bellevue, WA, with offices in Los Altos, CA, announced the resignation of managing partner Frank Artale following complaints of inappropriate conduct. The firm issued a statement late Tuesday afternoon via Twitter (reproduced in full below) describing a misconduct complaint against Artale … Continue reading “Artale Forced Out of VC Firm Ignition Partners After Misconduct Complaints”
Toyota’s First Venture Arm Gets $100M for AI, Robotics, Mobility Startups
Toyota Research Institute, the Toyota R&D unit that has parked branches near Stanford and two other top U.S. research universities, is now spinning out a corporate venture capital arm that will finance and incubate startups in artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous mobility. The research institute, also known as TRI, is devoting at least $100 million … Continue reading “Toyota’s First Venture Arm Gets $100M for AI, Robotics, Mobility Startups”
DataGravity Snapped Up by HyTrust After Struggles and Layoffs
DataGravity, one of New England’s bigger tech bets, has been acquired by California cybersecurity firm HyTrust. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the financial outcome doesn’t seem to be a good one for DataGravity’s investors, who had pumped at least $92 million into the company. Mountain View, CA-based HyTrust also announced a $36 million … Continue reading “DataGravity Snapped Up by HyTrust After Struggles and Layoffs”
Austin’s Riskpulse Formed in the Vortex of Two Weather-Tech Startups
Austin—For businesses that ship anything from mayonnaise to car parts, a change in temperature or an unexpected storm can mean bigger problems than just rotten eggs or stalled repairs. In this age of “just in time manufacturing,” entire factories might need to halt production if the right parts aren’t delivered, potentially costing thousands of dollars … Continue reading “Austin’s Riskpulse Formed in the Vortex of Two Weather-Tech Startups”
Under Silicon Valley’s Rough Turf, Tunnels of Women’s Networks Spread
[Corrected 7/11/17, 11:02 am. See below.] Revelations about gender bias and crude sexual harassment at Uber have been followed by similar claims by women against Silicon Valley venture capital investors, leaving a weary impression that the deck is almost hopelessly stacked against women in tech. But women aren’t facing these challenges alone, female entrepreneurs say—not … Continue reading “Under Silicon Valley’s Rough Turf, Tunnels of Women’s Networks Spread”
VC “Self-Correction” Continues in Second Quarter, and Top 10 Deals
[Updated 7/12/17, 8:38 am, to add MoneyTree data. See below.] U.S. venture capital investments are showing more signs of returning to steady levels. Investors pumped $21.78 billion into 1,958 companies in the second quarter, according to data from the quarterly Venture Monitor report from Seattle-based PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). The number … Continue reading “VC “Self-Correction” Continues in Second Quarter, and Top 10 Deals”
CRISPR Biotech Caribou Biosciences Adds Steven Kanner to Exec Team
Caribou Biosciences has brought on Steven Kanner as the Berkeley, CA, biotech’s new chief scientific officer. Caribou develops applications for the CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology. Kanner joins Caribou from Pasadena, CA-based Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARWR]]), where he was vice president of discovery biology. His experience also includes positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]), Astex Pharmaceuticals … Continue reading “CRISPR Biotech Caribou Biosciences Adds Steven Kanner to Exec Team”
Bio Roundup: BCRA Fireworks, Shkreli Muzzled, Endo Pulls Drug & More
The Fourth of July was this week, but members of Congress didn’t need to crane their necks skyward to see fireworks. Senators returned to their districts, where local news offered blistering headlines about the potential impact of the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. Independence Day typically lets lawmakers mingle with constituents at … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: BCRA Fireworks, Shkreli Muzzled, Endo Pulls Drug & More”
With Triage System, Companies See Toehold for A.I. in Radiology
This story is part of an ongoing Xconomy series on A.I. in healthcare. Other stories cover big-company efforts, a genomics hackathon, the impact on doctors and patients, and business models of A.I. in healthcare. Years ago, radiology underwent a radical transformation with the shift from film to widespread use of digital image displays. That set … Continue reading “With Triage System, Companies See Toehold for A.I. in Radiology”
5 Privacy Worries on 4 Wheels: Staying Safe in the Connected Car Era
As modern vehicles are upgraded to include Internet-enabled technologies designed to access, store, and transmit data for entertainment and safety purposes, consumers are presented with a double-edged sword. On one hand, these connected systems provide important convenience benefits for consumers, but on the flip side, motor vehicles are being exposed to a growing number of … Continue reading “5 Privacy Worries on 4 Wheels: Staying Safe in the Connected Car Era”
Flying Car Company Terrafugia Sold to Chinese Automaker Geely
Terrafugia, a Boston-area company that has been working on flying cars since 2006, is being acquired by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, an automotive manufacturer based in Hangzhou, China. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The news was first reported by the South China Morning Post, but Xconomy has independently been tracking rumors about … Continue reading “Flying Car Company Terrafugia Sold to Chinese Automaker Geely”
A.I., Uber & What’s Next in Tech: Q&A With Kayak Founder Paul English
Technology can’t solve every problem. Sometimes engineers overlook human-driven solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. That was one of the takeaways from my chat with Paul English at Xconomy’s recent business conference, IMPACT, held at the Museum of Science in Boston. The serial entrepreneur is best known as the co-founder and former chief technology officer … Continue reading “A.I., Uber & What’s Next in Tech: Q&A With Kayak Founder Paul English”
What’s the Business Model for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare?
This story is part of an ongoing Xconomy series on A.I. in healthcare. Other stories cover big-company efforts, a genomics hackathon, and the impact on doctors and patients. These are heady times for using artificial intelligence to extract insights from healthcare data—in particular, from the tidal wave of information coming out of fields like genomics … Continue reading “What’s the Business Model for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare?”
Adicet Bio Appoints Jesse McGreivy Chief Medical Officer
Jesse McGreivy is joining Adicet Bio to become the Menlo Park, CA, company’s chief medical officer. McGreivy most recently served as chief medical officer at Redwood City, CA, cancer drug developer Acerta Pharma. His experience also includes posts at Pharmacyclics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PCYC]]) and Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]). Adicet is developing immunotherapies for cancer and other diseases.
Grand Ventures’ First Investment is in Big Data Startup Astronomer
Grand Ventures, the West Michigan venture capital firm investing in early-stage tech startups, has closed its first deal. The firm contributed an undisclosed amount to Cincinnati-based big data startup Astronomer’s $3.5 million seed round. The funding was led by San Francisco’s Wireframe Ventures and Ohio’s CincyTech; other investors include Frontline Ventures, Drummond Road Capital, CoreNetwork … Continue reading “Grand Ventures’ First Investment is in Big Data Startup Astronomer”
Bio Roundup: Senate Drama, A.I. Stories, Data Dives, Shkreli & More
There is no Obamacare replacement, at least not as of this writing. The Senate Republicans are fractured, with a handful of conservatives and moderates each giving a cold shoulder to their chamber’s version of healthcare reform, the Better Care Reconciliation Act. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office report Monday put the bill’s potential effects in stark … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Senate Drama, A.I. Stories, Data Dives, Shkreli & More”
As Big Pharma Flocks to Science Exchange, Norwest Leads $28M Funding
Some biology PhD’s become entrepreneurs because there are only so many posts around for university professors. But Elizabeth Iorns had scored one of those coveted entry-level academic jobs, so there was a lot at stake in 2011, when she was deciding whether to give it up to launch a startup. Six years later, Iorns says … Continue reading “As Big Pharma Flocks to Science Exchange, Norwest Leads $28M Funding”
Salesforce, Cloudflare Entice A.I. App Developers To Build On Their Platforms
Two big San Francisco tech companies put out the welcome mat for third party developers this week, hoping to enrich their platforms with new apps that make use of artificial intelligence tools and other novel capabilities. Both Salesforce and Cloudflare are offering developers a large ready-made user base, tech support, and a shot at pools … Continue reading “Salesforce, Cloudflare Entice A.I. App Developers To Build On Their Platforms”