The LearnLaunch edtech startup accelerator today named the six startups that will be part of its Winter 2015 program. The companies will receive a seed investment, mentoring, and workspace in LearnLaunch’s Boston headquarters during the four-month program. LearnLaunch Demo Day is scheduled for June 3. LearnLaunch combines an accelerator, formerly known as LearnLaunchX, co-working space, … Continue reading “LearnLaunch Picks Six Edtech Startups for Upcoming Accelerator”
Category: Boston
Game Studio Proletariat Raises $6M, Eyes “World Zombination”
Most startups are in a near-constant battle to stay alive, stretching out their operating cash just long enough to do something worth remembering. So it’s a little poetic that Proletariat, an independent game studio based in the Boston area, is building a massive multiplayer game where zombies and humans fight each other for control of … Continue reading “Game Studio Proletariat Raises $6M, Eyes “World Zombination””
Nuclear Waste Reactor Startup Transatomic Power Adds $2.5M
One of the cool things about running a nuclear energy startup is that, eventually, you get to start testing your designs with real-life uranium. Sure, it’s depleted uranium at first. But hey, you’ve to got to start somewhere. “Getting the licenses necessary for running things with depleted uranium is trivial for what you need to go through … Continue reading “Nuclear Waste Reactor Startup Transatomic Power Adds $2.5M”
Breakout Labs Funds Lab Screening Startups and Stress Tracker System
[Corrected 2/11/15, 10:50 am. See below.] “The Art of Detection” could be the theme for the three new companies just awarded funding by Breakout Labs, the San Francisco seed-stage investing unit supported by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. Two of the new recipients announced today are Bay area companies that have developed lab methods to detect … Continue reading “Breakout Labs Funds Lab Screening Startups and Stress Tracker System”
Vaxxas Lands $20,000,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=979f76f6-985a-46ea-9d93-35cab2e839e9 Date 2/10/2015 Company Name Vaxxas Mailing Address 47 Thorndike Street Cambridge, MA 02141 USA Company Description Vaxxas is focussed on enhancing the performance of existing and next generation vaccines through the development and commercialization of the company’s novel vaccine delivery technology – the Nanopatch. Website http://www.vaxxas.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Vaxxas Lands $20,000,000 Series B Financing”
Faraday Obtains $750,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ba7ccf85-3259-4678-9399-5521f155e34c Date 2/10/2015 Company Name Faraday Mailing Address 63 Maple St. Middlebury, VT 05753 USA Company Description Faraday tracks all households in your service area at the address level. Zoom in for detail, zoom out to get down to business. Website http://www.faraday.io Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $750,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Faraday Obtains $750,000 New Financing Round”
Vaxxas Gets $20M Injection to Test Needle-Free Vaccines in Humans
What’s the worst part of getting vaccinated? Most folks, outside of the anti-vaccination crowd, would probably say the needle prick. A startup named Vaxxas is one of a group of companies trying to get rid of the ouch factor, and today it just got a big round of cash to see if its approach works … Continue reading “Vaxxas Gets $20M Injection to Test Needle-Free Vaccines in Humans”
“21st Century Cures” By Year’s End? Its Backers Want More Ideas
If you have an idea to include in the bipartisan initiative known as 21st Century Cures, Fred Upton (R-MI) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) say they are all ears. But speak up quickly: They want to present a bill to the House of Representatives by Memorial Day. That was the message the two members of Congress … Continue reading ““21st Century Cures” By Year’s End? Its Backers Want More Ideas”
Aventura Adds $14M to Help Doctors Navigate Electronic Records
Whether or not doctors, nurses, or patients like it, electronic health records are here to stay, and computers are becoming ubiquitous in exam rooms. While the healthcare world adjusts, some software companies are taking the next step—making applications that improve the performance and usability of the first wave of digital systems. One such company is … Continue reading “Aventura Adds $14M to Help Doctors Navigate Electronic Records”
Metasurvey Says: Fewer Biopharmas Capturing More Venture Dollars
In biotech, young companies have been raising money from public and private investors alike at an astounding rate. But all the rain isn’t letting a thousand flowers bloom. In other words, there’s more money going into new biopharma companies, but the cash is not being spread widely. That’s according to a new survey released today … Continue reading “Metasurvey Says: Fewer Biopharmas Capturing More Venture Dollars”
Who’s Beck? This Company Turns Grammy Curiosity Into Album Sales
The Grammy awards are a fun way to unwind, whether you’re into music, fashion, or just good old American spectacle. For some people, though, the annual awards show is a long night of pretty intense work. That’s certainly the case at Gupta Media, a Boston-based digital marketing company that works for major music labels. While … Continue reading “Who’s Beck? This Company Turns Grammy Curiosity Into Album Sales”
Why Boston Biotech Should Look to London
Look at online forums for U.K. ex-pats working in the Boston-Cambridge biotech sector and you’ll find some very British obsessions—where to find a decent curry and where to get a cricket game. But korma and cricket aside, what would it take to lure these seasoned entrepreneurs back home? It’s a question that London has to … Continue reading “Why Boston Biotech Should Look to London”
With Early Data, Alkermes Plots Quick Jump to Pivotal Study For MS Drug
Alkermes’ transformation from a drug-delivery specialist to a pharma company with its own pipeline has been well-documented. Shares are now worth more than triple what they were a few years ago as the Dublin, and Waltham, MA-based company has advanced in-house drugs for depression and schizophrenia. Now you can add a prospective multiple sclerosis treatment—one … Continue reading “With Early Data, Alkermes Plots Quick Jump to Pivotal Study For MS Drug”
Resistance Is Futile: Why That’s A Good Thing In Biomedicine
Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation are very familiar with the Borg, a society of cybernetic individuals linked together in a collective mindset. The Borg navigate the universe in cube-shaped spacecraft actively seeking members of other races to absorb into their collective. Whenever others oppose their efforts, the Borg let them know, in no … Continue reading “Resistance Is Futile: Why That’s A Good Thing In Biomedicine”
Therapy Startup Tunes Into Music as Rehab for Brain Injuries
A stroke or traumatic brain injury starts a race against the clock. Neurosurgeons, emergency room doctors, and paramedics have to take action to limit the damage as quickly as possible before it spreads and devastates portions of the patient’s brain, taking functions such as speech, movement, and memory with it. After that desperate sprint comes … Continue reading “Therapy Startup Tunes Into Music as Rehab for Brain Injuries”
Innovation on Kickstarter: The 10 Top-Funded Tech Ideas of 2014
A lot of ink has been spilled about the Coolest Cooler, a re-imagined picnic cooler equipped with a built-in blender, waterproof Bluetooth speaker, and UBS charger (among other things). To fund the project, inventor Ryan Grepper of Portland, OR, raised a record $13.3 million from 62,642 backers last summer on Kickstarter. The $13.3 million Grepper … Continue reading “Innovation on Kickstarter: The 10 Top-Funded Tech Ideas of 2014”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Hamburg, Merck, Annovation, WaVe & More
Between a battery of snowstorms, there was a parade this past week in Boston, as New Englanders lined the streets to celebrate Pete Carroll’s horrific goal-line call—I mean, a Patriots Super Bowl victory (congrats, Pats fans). In biotech, the theme of the week was volatility. Indices like the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NBI]]) vastly underperformed … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Hamburg, Merck, Annovation, WaVe & More”
Immedia Semiconductor Obtains $3,200,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=54966e2a-e647-4d8b-9fac-959d52e80b89 Date 2/9/2015 Company Name Immedia Semiconductor Mailing Address 100 Burtt Rd. Andover, MA 01810 USA Company Description Immedia Semiconductor, Inc. develops and markets semiconductor based ISP and video compression technologies for consumer electronics applications. Staffed by a world class team of ISP and video compression technology experts, Immedia is the first … Continue reading “Immedia Semiconductor Obtains $3,200,000 New Financing”
Milestones of Innovation 2: Gregor Mendel on Heredity, 1865
Today, as 150 years ago, for an innovation to happen, the idea it rests on must be understood by the people who hear it. On the 8th of February and the 8th of March 1865, the Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel told his local natural science society about a decade of results from thousands of cross-breeding … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 2: Gregor Mendel on Heredity, 1865”
Gener8tor’s Winter Program Draws Startups From Miami, Boston, Detroit
Gener8tor co-founder Troy Vosseller describes the Wisconsin startup accelerator’s latest group of companies as its most diverse class to date. When Gener8tor launched its program three years ago, the first couple of sessions featured only Wisconsin-based software and device companies. But its next few sessions attracted startups from around the Midwest and as far away … Continue reading “Gener8tor’s Winter Program Draws Startups From Miami, Boston, Detroit”
Innovation Hub: Meet Amy, Your AI Assistant
Amy Ingram is the most well-liked personal assistant in New York City. She was created by Dennis Mortensen to do a real job: schedule business meetings. And, given the fact that she’s artificially intelligent, she’s very good at it. But Mortensen, CEO and founder of x.ai, envisions more. His AI trainers are researching ways to … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Meet Amy, Your AI Assistant”
The Clean Energy Promise of Student Entrepreneurs
[This article was co-authored by MBA candidates Molly Bales and Eric Kirchblum at the MIT Sloan School of Management.] Cleantech investing has taken quite a hit in recent years. Last year, CBS News highlighted the “cleantech crash” on U.S. primetime television, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a Bloomberg-owned energy data firm, has tracked the multi-year … Continue reading “The Clean Energy Promise of Student Entrepreneurs”
FDA’s Hamburg Stepping Down With Biopharma Turnaround as Her Legacy
[Corrected 2/6/15, 2:40 pm. See below.] FDA Commissioner Margaret “Peggy” Hamburg will step down in March after nearly six eventful years, transforming the agency from one of the life science industry’s biggest bete noirs into, arguably, a fairly reliable arbiter for innovators. She announced her decision this morning in an open letter to FDA employees. … Continue reading “FDA’s Hamburg Stepping Down With Biopharma Turnaround as Her Legacy”
TechConnect 2015
Information and registration here. TechConnect is an annual conference organized by the MS-MBA Association at Boston University’s School of Management. The event is designed to engage current and future business leaders in dialogue on technology trends and concepts. Both sides have a chance to learn from the experiences of the other. TechConnect is completely run … Continue reading “TechConnect 2015”
Find Out “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech” on April 8
Life sciences innovation is moving fast these days, and Boston is right in the center of it. Consider the past year alone: Gene therapy, once an abandoned research field fraught with safety issues, produced real human data suggesting it might be able to reverse a crippling blood disorder. Cellular immunotherapy techniques are showing real promise … Continue reading “Find Out “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech” on April 8”
Ntoggle Secures $5,600,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=36be55f9-f6c2-40ca-8f0c-b1cf11f30f7d Date 2/5/2015 Company Name Ntoggle Mailing Address 77 N. Washington Street 4th Floor Boston, MA 02114 USA Company Description nToggle delivers heightened efficiency and transparency for buyers and sellers amidst the rapid rise of programmatic advertising. Website http://www.ntoggle.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,600,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Ntoggle Secures $5,600,000 Series A Funding”
ORIG3N Obtains $3,100,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=25396cc1-e086-428b-b740-3b10ba3e84c4 Date 2/5/2015 Company Name ORIG3N Mailing Address 27 Drydock Ave. Boston, MA 02210 USA Company Description Boston based ORIG3N is a biotechnology company developing breakthrough treatments for rare genetically inherited diseases with targets in heart, liver and neurodegenerative indications. These treatments are based upon Nobel Prize winning technology. Website http://www.orig3n.com Transaction … Continue reading “ORIG3N Obtains $3,100,000 New Round”
ThinkingPhones Buys Contactive to Bring Better Caller ID to Business
It seems like decades since Caller ID—that humble but useful improvement to old-school landline telephones—felt high-tech and cutting-edge. But ThinkingPhones, a Cambridge, MA-based communications software company, thinks Caller ID has a future, and that new technology can give it new life. That’s why the company just bought Contactive, a New York City-based big data startup, … Continue reading “ThinkingPhones Buys Contactive to Bring Better Caller ID to Business”
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”
With a Knife as a Microscope, 3Scan Maps in 3D
There was a beauty salon on Mission Street in the South Market neighborhood of San Francisco that went out of business. Occasionally, people still wander in looking for a trim. The new tenant, 3Scan, has to explain that hair styling is not a service they offer, even though they do have knives. “You don’t want … Continue reading “With a Knife as a Microscope, 3Scan Maps in 3D”
Built for a Deal, Annovation Rewards Backers With Medicines Co. Buyout
These days, it seems biotech investors are happy to take all kinds of risk. But there are still times to hedge bets, which Atlas Venture did a few years ago with Cambridge, MA-based Annovation Biopharma. That lower-risk investment is paying off nicely today. The Medicines Co. (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]])—an investor in Annovation that had an option … Continue reading “Built for a Deal, Annovation Rewards Backers With Medicines Co. Buyout”
Third Rock’s New Revolution Looks to Squeeze More Drugs From Nature
Over and over, drugmakers have turned discoveries in nature into human medicine. Aspirin came from the willow plant, and the cholesterol-lowering statins originated in fungi. But once the foundation of the drug business, so-called natural products have fallen out of favor in our high-tech age. Third Rock Ventures thinks it can go back to nature … Continue reading “Third Rock’s New Revolution Looks to Squeeze More Drugs From Nature”
Frustrations Turn Fiksu Into Potential Mobile Marketing Juggernaut
A few years ago, Micah Adler and his colleagues had a problem. His startup, Fluent Mobile, had developed a mobile app named Fluent News Reader that received rave reviews, but after the interest created by a successful launch the app had difficulty finding users. It turned out no matter how good the reviews, it was … Continue reading “Frustrations Turn Fiksu Into Potential Mobile Marketing Juggernaut”
Nantero Receives $31,532,926 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5e49b922-0487-486c-ab3e-108f96e7846a Date 2/4/2015 Company Name Nantero Mailing Address 25-E Olympia Avenue Woburn, MA 01801 USA Company Description Nantero is a nanotechnology company using carbon nanotubes for the development of next-generation semiconductor devices. Website http://www.nantero.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $31,532,926 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC … Continue reading “Nantero Receives $31,532,926 New Funding Round”
HourlyNerd Garners $7,800,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bb012519-e277-42a3-9fe0-160a6981ebec Date 2/4/2015 Company Name HourlyNerd Mailing Address 36 Bromfield St. Boston, MA 02108 USA Company Description HourlyNerd was started by a team of Harvard Business School students with a passion for helping small businesses. Our team has spent years working with small businesses and we have experience in private equity, consulting, … Continue reading “HourlyNerd Garners $7,800,000 Series B Financing”
Transatomic Power Lands $2,500,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=082883be-a322-4a6b-84e9-fac10670d5e8 Date 2/4/2015 Company Name Transatomic Power Mailing Address One Broadway 14th Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 USA Company Description Transatomic Power Corporation is commercializing an innovative molten salt reactor that safely burns nuclear waste to deliver vast amounts of affordable clean energy to meet the world’s needs. We are headquartered in Kendall … Continue reading “Transatomic Power Lands $2,500,000 New Funding Round”
The Medicines Company Acquires Annovation BioPharma for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=17ee29c8-b6c2-4561-aea7-f876e6f1f048 Date 2/4/2015 Company Name Annovation BioPharma Mailing Address 2 Dairy Farm Lane Wayland, MA 01778 USA Company Description Annovation BioPharma, Inc. develops pharmaceutical products in the field of anesthesia, sedation, and sleep. The company was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Wayland, Massachusetts. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount … Continue reading “The Medicines Company Acquires Annovation BioPharma for Undisclosed Sum”
As Promised, LTI Pulls In Big Series A to Advance Parkinson’s Drug
Lysosomal Therapeutics of Cambridge, MA, has closed a $20 million Series A round to push forward a drug for Parkinson’s disease that exploits the link between neurodegeneration and a family of rare genetic disorders. LTI raised a $5 million seed round last year. When it found a compound to develop as its lead Parkinson’s candidate, … Continue reading “As Promised, LTI Pulls In Big Series A to Advance Parkinson’s Drug”
Hardware Investor Bolt Adds San Francisco Office, $25M Fund
Bolt is heading west after closing a $25 million second venture fund. The Boston-based investor and manufacturing consultant is opening West Coast operations in San Francisco, in a fabrication facility owned by Autodesk, one of its financiers. Bolt plans to hire California-based engineers to work with local portfolio companies, possibly growing its current staff of … Continue reading “Hardware Investor Bolt Adds San Francisco Office, $25M Fund”
Stratasys Takes Write-Down on MakerBot; Is 3D Printing Due a Reckoning?
[Updated 2/3/15 5:30 pm. See below.] Last evening, 3D printing company Stratasys lowered its expectations for its 2014 financial results, putting its subsidiary MakerBot Industries, based in Brooklyn, in a different kind of spotlight. In its preliminary 2014 financials, Stratasys (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SSYS]]) said it would take a write-down, which is a reduction in the book value … Continue reading “Stratasys Takes Write-Down on MakerBot; Is 3D Printing Due a Reckoning?”
Join Xconomy, And New York’s Life Science Disruptors, on March 12
It may be freezing in New York, but that doesn’t apply to a biotech scene that continues to gain steam. No, biotech in the Big Apple isn’t yet the bubbling cluster you’ll find in Boston or San Francisco; there is much work still to be done. But if you take a look across various areas … Continue reading “Join Xconomy, And New York’s Life Science Disruptors, on March 12”
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”
Now Playing: California’s $1 Billion Stem-Cell Renovation Show
Home remodeling shows are a reality TV staple. But no Park Avenue mansion or country estate can top the nearly $1 billion price tag of the house C. Randal Mills is trying to renovate on the fly in California. Mills, who goes by Randy, is the president of the State of California’s stem cell agency, … Continue reading “Now Playing: California’s $1 Billion Stem-Cell Renovation Show”
WaVe Life Sciences Garners $18,000,000 Series A Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=13f2bf11-ebba-43d0-82e6-9fdeb69e4a24 Date 2/3/2015 Company Name WaVe Life Sciences Mailing Address 419 Western Avenue Boston, MA 02135 USA Company Description WaVe Life Sciences is leading a revolution in nucleic acid therapeutics and was founded on the core principle that medicines should possess precisely controlled molecular structures. We and our strategic partners are advancing … Continue reading “WaVe Life Sciences Garners $18,000,000 Series A Financing Round”
Lysosomal Therapeutics Lands $20,000,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=88656b3c-e6c1-4ee4-a3e1-d4b4a01ebc98 Date 2/3/2015 Company Name Lysosomal Therapeutics Mailing Address 19 Blackstone Street Cambridge, MA 02139 USA Company Description LTI’s unique approach to discovering new drugs for neurodegenerative diseases is based on research performed in the lab of Dr. Dimitri Krainc, one of the company’s founders, at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding … Continue reading “Lysosomal Therapeutics Lands $20,000,000 Series A Financing”
What Are We Watching on YouTube? Super Bowl Leftovers, Of Course
Super Bowl Sunday is a singularly American gathering where, despite our fragmenting popular culture, millions of people still turn their attention to a shared spectacle of sports, entertainment, and commerce. Even after all that gluttony, however, it appears the year’s biggest media onslaught isn’t enough for most consumers. The day after the biggest NFL game of the year, millions of … Continue reading “What Are We Watching on YouTube? Super Bowl Leftovers, Of Course”
WaVe Gets $18M to Solve RNA’s “Underappreciated” Chemistry Problem
The field of RNA-based drugs is moving fast. Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]) has an approved drug, and more potentially on the way. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) has a slew of them in development, and a few that could be approved in the next few years. Younger entrants with different approaches, like Moderna Therapeutics are raising … Continue reading “WaVe Gets $18M to Solve RNA’s “Underappreciated” Chemistry Problem”
Did the Super Bowl Flu Strike Your Office?
Look around. A few of your colleagues missing today? Maybe yesterday’s game was just too much for them? Seattle-based healthcare IT startup Healthentic says it’s not your imagination. The company tracks health insurance usage and other data for companies to help them find ways to save money and improve benefits for their employees. It looked … Continue reading “Did the Super Bowl Flu Strike Your Office?”
Boston-Power Receives $29,999,999 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=92bdc749-b989-4f18-9d4e-999cdb421cd2 Date 2/2/2015 Company Name Boston-Power Mailing Address 2200 West Park Drive Westborough, MA 01581 USA Company Description Boston-Power, Inc. is an emerging portable power company answering the call for safer, longer lasting Lithium-ion batteries – today. Website http://www.boston-power.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $29,999,999 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes … Continue reading “Boston-Power Receives $29,999,999 New Round”
Boston Beats Seattle in Venture Capital Bowl With Biotechs as MVPs
It’s Super Bowl Friday—Super Blue Friday, here in Seattle, where the sun shines in January. Time for a good old fashioned venture capital showdown between Seattle and New England. It’s not much of a contest, unfortunately. Venture investors did 390 deals in the greater Boston area last year, compared to 173 in Seattle, according to … Continue reading “Boston Beats Seattle in Venture Capital Bowl With Biotechs as MVPs”