In case you missed it, President Obama used his State of the Union speech Tuesday night to call for a national “precision medicine” initiative. But, as often happens in these Halloween candy bags of Presidential wish lists, the details were scant. Here’s the entirety of what he said about it: I want the country that … Continue reading “What President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative Might Include”
Category: Boston
VMTurbo Lands $50,000,000 Series D Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d4469136-24ac-4ff9-aa4c-222f1f5d153e Date 1/21/2015 Company Name VMTurbo Mailing Address 500 Boylston St 8th Floor Boston, MA 02116 USA Company Description VMTurbo is the only solution that enables the IT agility required to address the continuously fluctuating demands of today’s data centers. Website http://www.vmturbo.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $50,000,000 Transaction Round Series … Continue reading “VMTurbo Lands $50,000,000 Series D Financing Round”
Vaultive Secures $8,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9222611f-041c-46d9-8d86-429a95b42f5f Date 1/21/2015 Company Name Vaultive Mailing Address 470 Atlantic Ave. 12th Floor Boston, MA 02210 USA Company Description Vaultive provides cloud data encryption solutions that empower organizations to realize the cost savings, enhanced productivity and operational efficiencies of cloud computing while maintaining the data security, control and compliance advantages of on-premise … Continue reading “Vaultive Secures $8,000,000 New Funding”
Jibo Garners $25,300,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1869b432-b9ab-4cd4-a8ce-58ea70df30db Date 1/21/2015 Company Name Jibo Mailing Address One Broadway 14th Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 USA Company Description Jibo is an interactive social and emotive robot that provides information, entertainment, education, and communications capabilities. Website http://www.myjibo.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $25,300,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Jibo will use … Continue reading “Jibo Garners $25,300,000 Series A Financing”
CloudHealth Receives $12,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8f8ea84c-3f13-4b89-bbee-8cafdfe2abbf Date 1/21/2015 Company Name CloudHealth Mailing Address 280 Summer Street 6th Floor Boston, MA 02210 USA Company Description CloudHealth provides business performance management for the cloud. We poll, collect, aggregate, and correlate data from your cloud ecosystem 7 by 24, and allow our customers to analyze, model, predict, and plan their … Continue reading “CloudHealth Receives $12,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
SpaceX’s $1 Billion Financing Follows Musk’s Expansion Talk
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) landed a major $1 billion financing round led by Google and Fidelity on Tuesday. SpaceX will use some of the money for manufacturing satellites, the company announced in a statement on its website. The news comes just a week after billionaire CEO Elon Musk told Bloomberg News that he is … Continue reading “SpaceX’s $1 Billion Financing Follows Musk’s Expansion Talk”
In the Jiu-Jitsu Match of Biotech Risk, a Reminder of Other Paths
Risk makes for great headlines. I’m guilty as charged. My first column for Xconomy questioned whether biotech venture capitalists were losing relevance, running away from risk in an inherently risky business. Heading full steam into the new year, there will be plenty of headlines and stories from us and our peers about the brave and … Continue reading “In the Jiu-Jitsu Match of Biotech Risk, a Reminder of Other Paths”
MIT Sloan CIO Symposium
Information and registration here. From the event site: Digitization and exponential improvements in technology (faster, cheaper, smarter) are the foundation of future success. Accelerated success will come through new combinations of people, processes, and technology ─ finding smarter, more efficient ways to manage current operations; using technology, including the Internet of Things, to redefine products; … Continue reading “MIT Sloan CIO Symposium”
Greater Boston’s One Thing
[Updated 6/23/15 with video. See below] It is a truism in career development that you should only do one thing and do it well. You don’t want to pursue multiple business endeavors—that would scatter your energy. Offer a consistent image to the world. Focus. When I moved back to Cambridge for my sabbatical at MIT, … Continue reading “Greater Boston’s One Thing”
EarlySense Receives $20,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9fdbbf1d-5546-42fb-becc-5575fa4eb80f Date 1/20/2015 Company Name EarlySense Mailing Address 135 Beaver Street Waltham, MA 02452 USA Company Description EarlySense was founded in 2004 by an experienced medical device entrepreneurial team. EarlySense is a multi-disciplinary group of professionals working together to provide a breakthrough solution for the care of chronic patients. Website http://www.ealrysense.com Transaction … Continue reading “EarlySense Receives $20,000,000 New Funding”
With New State Rules, WeFunder to Offer Equity Crowdfunding in MA
Massachusetts has joined the growing list of states that are opening up private company investing to people who aren’t already rich, and one online investing startup is already planning to take advantage. Under new state rules issued this week, private Massachusetts companies can begin selling stock to just anybody who wants to purchase it—provided they’re … Continue reading “With New State Rules, WeFunder to Offer Equity Crowdfunding in MA”
J.P. Morgan 2015: Notes, Thoughts, And Conversations From the Vortex
The word “story” gets ill treatment at events like the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. It often means an elevator pitch from a harried CEO to a distracted investor, or a few observations a journalist strings together with a headline, or Twitter snark trying to pass for insight. But we heard a real story on Sunday … Continue reading “J.P. Morgan 2015: Notes, Thoughts, And Conversations From the Vortex”
It Had to be You: Why Roche Was The Lone Suitor For Foundation
The buzz from day one of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco earlier this week was the announcement on Sunday night by Roche that it was acquiring a majority interest in Foundation Medicine (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FMI]]) for a bit more than $1 billion in cash, which translates into $50 a share. Those were just … Continue reading “It Had to be You: Why Roche Was The Lone Suitor For Foundation”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Foundation, Biogen, Moderna, & Lots More
Well, the circus (the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference) is over. After a few days running around in sunny Union Square in San Francisco, it’s back to reality for us East Coasters—three more months of thick coats and blustery wind. Alex Lash and I will be emptying the notebook from the conference in the weeks and … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Foundation, Biogen, Moderna, & Lots More”
Uber’s Data-Sharing Welcomed, But City Regulators Still Want More
Uber has become an intensely admired, sometimes reviled, and fabulously wealthy company in just a few short years by sticking to an uncompromising playbook. When it wants to expand into a new city, the next-generation taxi company tends to move first and deal with regulatory and legal concerns second. Competitors and government officials who object can find themselves … Continue reading “Uber’s Data-Sharing Welcomed, But City Regulators Still Want More”
MIT MBA Students Tour Silicon Valley As Tech Campuses Expand
It’s easy to catch the technology bug. After all, tech companies are pretty much everywhere. I became hooked when I worked as an IT consultant at Accenture after college, and plan to work at a technology company after I finish my MBA. So when I had the opportunity to participate in a Technology Trek at … Continue reading “MIT MBA Students Tour Silicon Valley As Tech Campuses Expand”
Ideas for Diversity, Education, and Computer Science
On December 24 2009, Xconomy published a column in which I reflected on the preceding decade and predicted for the coming one. I still quote that column in talks, because it’s the one time I can remember when I was actually right: I said that this would be the decade in which computer scientists put … Continue reading “Ideas for Diversity, Education, and Computer Science”
Uber-Size Deals Dominate Mega Year in U.S. Venture Activity
Venture capital firms invested more than $47.3 billion in U.S. startups in 2014, marking the highest funding level of VC funding since 2001, according to data being released today by CB Insights, the New York-based venture capital database. The $47.3 billion was 62 percent more than the $29.2 billion that venture firms invested in 2013. … Continue reading “Uber-Size Deals Dominate Mega Year in U.S. Venture Activity”
Attacking Parkinson’s Via Gaucher Link, LTI Ready for Its Series A
When his company raised nearly $5 million in seed funding last year, Lysosomal Therapeutics founder, president, and CEO Kees Been said he had two goals: learn more about the underlying connection between the rare Gaucher disease and Parkinson’s disease, and sort through compounds licensed from the National Institutes of Health to find the best one … Continue reading “Attacking Parkinson’s Via Gaucher Link, LTI Ready for Its Series A”
Blu Homes Secures $35,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2527ee09-dc72-4810-a617-48c285dc7219 Date 1/15/2015 Company Name Blu Homes Mailing Address 130 Turner Street Waltham, MA 02453 USA Company Description Founded in 2008, Blu makes beautiful green homes suitable for a wide range of residential, commercial and institutional buyers. Blu’s breakthrough computer modeling, unique use of steel and wood and revolutionary folding technology makes … Continue reading “Blu Homes Secures $35,000,000 New Financing Round”
MediSafe Obtains $6,000,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=55e1543f-747a-4fb4-b959-497be8379bf5 Date 1/15/2015 Company Name MediSafe Mailing Address 754 Atlantic Ave. 8th Floor Boston, MA 02205 USA Company Description These notifications are being modified in real time through the use of proprietary algorithms combined with predictive analytics to constantly alter the message (text and/or video) based on each patient’s interactions with Medisafe. … Continue reading “MediSafe Obtains $6,000,000 Series A Funding”
Driftt Obtains $15,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7bc2277b-dd29-4865-82fb-871d238057b9 Date 1/15/2015 Company Name Driftt Mailing Address One Broadway 15th Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 USA Company Description Driftt is a platform that helps people like you work better together. Anywhere, anytime, on any device. Our mission is to help people like you work better together. Anywhere, anytime, on any device. Website … Continue reading “Driftt Obtains $15,000,000 New Funding”
Tego Receives $2,146,360 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=02156ad5-74cc-409f-bb5f-a8dcd16e4cd8 Date 1/15/2015 Company Name Tego Mailing Address 375 Totten Pond Road Waltham, MA 02451 USA Company Description Tego is a fabless designer and producer of passive RFID tags with substantially higher memory and functionality than that offered by any competitor. Website http://www.tegoinc.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $2,146,360 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “Tego Receives $2,146,360 New Funding Round”
HitPoint Obtains $2,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=205394e6-aaf6-4f22-a285-d06f148553b7 Date 1/15/2015 Company Name HitPoint Mailing Address 1350 Main St. Springfield, MA 01103 USA Company Description Founded in 2008 after a merger between Golden Goose Games LLC and Paul Hake Productions LLC, HitPoint Studios is the largest independent game studio in Massachusetts with 33 full-time employees. Website http://www.hitpointstudios.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “HitPoint Obtains $2,000,000 New Financing Round”
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”
Colleges Must Mix Entrepreneurial Skills, Traditional Liberal Arts
The great challenge facing higher education is to prepare students to navigate a world of accelerating uncertainty and faster churn. Training students to re-invent themselves every few years, as is already required in the world today, is an objective that legacy approaches to higher education is not optimized for. I’m convinced, however, that the University … Continue reading “Colleges Must Mix Entrepreneurial Skills, Traditional Liberal Arts”
In Search of a Better Approach to Breast Cancer Screening
As a venture investor in the healthcare sector, I see a lot of new medical technologies that promise improvement over the current standard of care. Opportunities that represent truly transformational change in medicine are rare, and those that address a major clinical challenge affecting tens of millions of lives are rarer still. Breast cancer screening … Continue reading “In Search of a Better Approach to Breast Cancer Screening”
Elsen Secures $400,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=734ffe7c-944f-449b-aa97-a4153399cb70 Date 1/14/2015 Company Name Elsen Mailing Address 695 Atlantic Ave. Boston, MA 02111 USA Company Description Frustrated with the tools available to active traders, the founders of Elsen set out to make it easier for investors to create, test, and monitor algorithmic trading strategies. Website http://www.elsen.co Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Elsen Secures $400,000 New Financing”
NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals Obtains $10,000,000 Series D Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=65857d2c-0707-414c-b660-bdea479e01fe Date 1/14/2015 Company Name NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 222 3rd St. Cambridge, MA 02142 USA Company Description NeuroPhage is developing a breakthrough protein dissaggregation platform for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Our lead Alzheimer’s disease (AD) drug candidate, NPT001, safely and effectively dissaggregates existing Aß plaque in preclinical animal models, which is … Continue reading “NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals Obtains $10,000,000 Series D Round”
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”
More Green For Moderna as Merck Makes $50M Equity Grab, mRNA Deal
Even a week after a $450 million round, the cash keeps flowing into Moderna Therapeutics. The Cambridge, MA-based company announced this morning that Merck has become the latest company angling for a piece of Moderna’s messenger RNA therapeutics. The pharma giant is signing on for a three-year research collaboration to develop mRNA-based treatments and vaccines … Continue reading “More Green For Moderna as Merck Makes $50M Equity Grab, mRNA Deal”
With Vedanta Deal, J&J Marks Big-Pharma Milestone in the Microbiome
Through its Janssen Biotech division, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: [[ticker:JNJ]]) is taking over the development of a biotech bacterial mix that within a couple years could become the latest microbiome-related treatment in human testing. Although the microbiome is an immensely promising area to mine for human health secrets—not to mention fascinating as-yet-undiscovered biology—no big drug … Continue reading “With Vedanta Deal, J&J Marks Big-Pharma Milestone in the Microbiome”
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”
Schools Should Nurture Kids’ Natural Knack for Entrepreneurship
I think the most important change we could make in education would be to put more emphasis on exposing kids to entrepreneurship, starting very early on. I’ve found that kids have a natural inclination towards entrepreneurship—we just need to give them the opportunity to learn and practice the skills they need to act on their … Continue reading “Schools Should Nurture Kids’ Natural Knack for Entrepreneurship”
fuboTV Secures $1,600,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d77992b3-ee3e-4a8e-a99f-11a6eae20524 Date 1/13/2015 Company Name fuboTV Mailing Address 38 Locust Road Greenwich, CT 06831 USA Company Description fubo.tv brings the world’s latest football video highlights, interviews, classic matches, and behind the scenes footage to your desktop and smartphone/ Real time soccer commentary and stats right at your fingertips. Website http://www.fubo.tv Transaction Type … Continue reading “fuboTV Secures $1,600,000 New Funding”
Stealth BioTherapeutics Secures New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=490fae1d-34e5-4b2f-b722-313e508acb4f Date 1/13/2015 Company Name Stealth BioTherapeutics Mailing Address 275 Grove Street Newton, MA 02466 USA Company Description Stealth BioTherapeutics is an innovative biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing patients mitochondria-targeted therapies to treat both common and rare diseases. Website http://www.stealthbt.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Stealth BioTherapeutics Secures New Round”
peerTransfer Obtains $22,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c8a719f5-49f2-4b60-99c6-5374cb97c758 Date 1/13/2015 Company Name peerTransfer Mailing Address 295 Devonshire Street 4th Floor Boston, MA 02110 USA Company Description peerTransfer is the pioneer in low cost online international money transfer and global payments,helping individuals and businesses securely transfer funds internationally while saving money. Website http://www.peertransfer.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $22,000,000 … Continue reading “peerTransfer Obtains $22,000,000 New Funding Round”
True Fit Garners $15,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f3f6b7ff-e4f1-4cfc-a195-592f606aebbb Date 1/13/2015 Company Name True Fit Mailing Address 800 West Cummings Park Woburn, MA 01801 USA Company Description My True FitSM is an e-commerce site powered by proprietary True FitSM software that deftly matches individuals to the items of clothing and shoes that best fit their personal style and unique body … Continue reading “True Fit Garners $15,000,000 New Funding Round”
Qstream Secures $4,000,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=71d077f5-b91c-4b34-a59b-7160bfcabcbf Date 1/13/2015 Company Name Qstream Mailing Address 200 Wheeler Road Burlington, MA 01803 USA Company Description We provide a patented and secure sales performance solution delivered via the cloud to mobile devices that is fun to use and takes only minutes a day. A sophisticated analytics engine uses the data to … Continue reading “Qstream Secures $4,000,000 Series A Funding Round”
Inform Genomics Lands $363,277 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7a9df44d-0590-4638-bde0-fa793fd6b5e1 Date 1/13/2015 Company Name Inform Genomics Mailing Address 101 Federal Street Boston, MA 02110 USA Company Description Our vision is to transform individual patient care & drug development with our predictive pharmacogenomic platform of products. Website http://www.informgenomics.net Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $363,277 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes … Continue reading “Inform Genomics Lands $363,277 New Financing”
Apple’s Boston-Area Lease Carves Out Room for About 65
We know that the most important company in tech has been growing its office in the Boston area as it continues to build a speech-recognition engineering team on MIT’s doorstep. Now, we have a few more numbers to fill in the blanks. Documents filed with the local government show that Apple has leased about 11,500 square … Continue reading “Apple’s Boston-Area Lease Carves Out Room for About 65”
Web Innovators Group
WebInno 44. Information and registration here. WebInno is a regular gathering of over 1,000 people engaged in Internet and mobile innovation. Open to everyone in the community.
Mass Innovation Nights
This is Mass Innovation Nights #70. Registration and information here. 10 new products waiting to showcase. Support local innovation—network and have fun at the same time!
Seven Surprises About Convertible Notes That Founders Should Know
Over the past two years, there has been an explosion of the use of convertible notes for seed rounds. It used to be these debt instruments that convert to equity later at a discount to the price of the next round were only for small initial financings of, say, $250,000 for a company to get … Continue reading “Seven Surprises About Convertible Notes That Founders Should Know”
Genentech Redux? Roche Buys Majority Stake in Foundation Medicine
In a deal that shakes up the full-steam-ahead world of cancer diagnostics, the world’s top oncology drug company, Roche, said today it’s spending more than $1 billion for a majority stake in Foundation Medicine and creating a powerful drug-diagnostic collaboration. It’s a significant gamble on the as-yet-unrealized potential of tests that aim for broad genetic … Continue reading “Genentech Redux? Roche Buys Majority Stake in Foundation Medicine”
Ginger.io Lands $20,000,000 Series B Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=56975215-72e7-4a76-b883-54a41685115e Date 1/12/2015 Company Name Ginger.io Mailing Address 1 Broadway 3rd Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 USA Company Description Ginger.io provides healthcare and life sciences clients with insight into patient behavior using mobile phone sensors and other big data. Existing methodologies for collecting behavior data are sparse, subjective, and error prone, relying on … Continue reading “Ginger.io Lands $20,000,000 Series B Round”
Alzheon Obtains $3,050,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=666c1f96-2601-48c5-ae80-e1f0dff89a84 Date 1/12/2015 Company Name Alzheon Mailing Address 394 Lowell St Lexington, MA 02420 USA Company Description Alzheon is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on brain health, memory and aging, developing innovative treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Website http://www.alzheon.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,050,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “Alzheon Obtains $3,050,000 New Funding”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Pre-J.P. Morgan Preening Edition
It’s here again: J.P. Morgan week. Over the next few days, most everyone in healthcare will head to San Francisco for the industry’s biggest annual conference (a blessing for us East Coasters, who get a reprieve from the sub-zero wind chills). Typically there’s a big deal or two preceding the conference. This year? A stampede … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Pre-J.P. Morgan Preening Edition”
Second Exit for DeCode Investors as Spinout NextCODE Sold to WuXi
How fast is the world of genomic data changing? Consider this: The pioneering Icelandic genomics company deCode Genetics, founded in 1996, had to go through bankruptcy and back before selling itself for a handsome sum to Amgen a few years ago. Its spinout, NextCODE Health, needed just 15 months and a single $15 million round … Continue reading “Second Exit for DeCode Investors as Spinout NextCODE Sold to WuXi”