Innovation Hub: Jason Fried on the End of the Workplace

Jason Fried wants us to forget about meetings, stop talking to our managers, and avoid coming into the office. Mostly. Fried, the co-founder and CEO of the software company Basecamp, believes many workplaces are dysfunctional and should be reinvented. Why? And what’s Fried’s vision of the new office? I sat down to talk with him … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Jason Fried on the End of the Workplace”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Concert, Merrimack, Vertex, & More

A near-death experience for an IPO, new life for a cancer drug company, and plenty of clinical trial results dot the roundup this week. Those stories and more below. —Lexington, MA-based Concert Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CNCE]]) may have priced its IPO at the top of its range earlier this year, but not without a fair bit … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Concert, Merrimack, Vertex, & More”

Boston Tech Roundup: BookBub, Kronos, Techstars, & More

It’s been a pretty busy week for startups and larger companies alike around the Boston-area innovation sector, with financing news, revenue growth, an acquisition, an accelerator demo day, and a college pitch competition: —BookBub, a Cambridge, MA-based startup that markets discounts on books to an e-mail list of nearly 3 million, has attracted a $3.8 … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: BookBub, Kronos, Techstars, & More”

BookBub Obtains $3,800,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a9ed3e6d-cc9e-488c-a569-6b4c71f88a3b Date 5/2/2014 Company Name BookBub Mailing Address Undisclosed Cambridge, MA 94304 USA Company Description BookBub is a free service that helps millions of readers discover great deals on acclaimed ebooks while providing publishers and authors with a way to drive sales and find new fans. Members receive a personalized daily email … Continue reading “BookBub Obtains $3,800,000 Series A Financing Round”

At Two-Year Mark, JOBS Act Is Regulation Even A Biotech Can Love

It’s been two years since President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act into law and revamped the rules that govern private companies trying to raise money from all types of investors. The biotech crowd, usually hard pressed to find good things to say about federal regulation, couldn’t be more pleased with the … Continue reading “At Two-Year Mark, JOBS Act Is Regulation Even A Biotech Can Love”

With New SF Office, Cengage Looks to Rival Tech Giants

Cengage Learning, the billion-dollar edtech giant that started life as Thomson Learning before it was sold off in 2007, is celebrating a brand-new office in San Francisco this week. The new facility will be a testing ground for fostering engagement and innovation in the workspace, and CEO Michael Hansen says the company expects to use … Continue reading “With New SF Office, Cengage Looks to Rival Tech Giants”

Merrimack Heads to FDA as Pancreatic Cancer Drug Succeeds in Phase 3

[Updated, 8:10 am ET] Merrimack Pharmaceuticals has taken its share of punches from investors over the past year while trying to prove that its computer-aided drug discovery approach can lead to effective therapeutics. But the Cambridge, MA-based company can finally talk about some good clinical news today, because it might have a shot to break … Continue reading “Merrimack Heads to FDA as Pancreatic Cancer Drug Succeeds in Phase 3”

Lumenpulse Receives $337,681 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=32d965c8-177b-40d8-a299-2c9c68abbbe8 Date 5/1/2014 Company Name Lumenpulse Mailing Address 268 Summer Street 2nd Floor Boston, MA 02210 USA Company Description Founded in 2006, Lumenpulse designs and manufactures cutting edge Architectural Solid State Lighting Luminaires for both interior and exterior applications. Our attention to detail in mechanical, optical and fixture design positions Lumenpulse as … Continue reading “Lumenpulse Receives $337,681 New Financing Round”

Understory Lands $1,900,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cbef9974-4161-4f1c-aa0b-cfff6a62c2c5 Date 5/1/2014 Company Name Understory Mailing Address 110 Chauncy Street Boston, MA 02111 USA Company Description Understory is a weather data and analytics company. They provide real time, surface level data generated by grids of propriteary weather stations. Website http://www.understoryweather.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,900,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds … Continue reading “Understory Lands $1,900,000 Seed Round”

ANSYS Acquires SpaceClaim for $85,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=72b17d22-e52b-488a-9312-03d6a929909f Date 5/1/2014 Company Name SpaceClaim Mailing Address 150 Baker Ave Ext. Concord, MA 01742 USA Company Description SpaceClaim Corporation provides breakthrough mechanical design technology that enhances engineers’ productivity by empowering them to contribute to, consume, and share mechanical designs in 3D digital format. Website http://www.spaceclaim.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $85,000,000 … Continue reading “ANSYS Acquires SpaceClaim for $85,000,000”

Ambri Adds $35M From Gates, Khosla, KLP Enterprises

Cleantech seems to be coming back in New England. Or, more likely, it never really left. Today an MIT startup called Ambri (formerly known as Liquid Metal Battery) says it has raised a $35 million Series C funding round from new investor KLP Enterprises, as well as previous investors including Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, and … Continue reading “Ambri Adds $35M From Gates, Khosla, KLP Enterprises”

New Napa Speakers: Kawasaki on Startups, Ashenfelter on Wine

McLuhan said that the medium is the message. Here at Xconomy, we agree, and we think it even goes for the venues we pick for our events. When we hold a big conference in a university lecture hall, the message we’re sending is: deep thoughts and nuanced arguments coming. If we gather at the campus … Continue reading “New Napa Speakers: Kawasaki on Startups, Ashenfelter on Wine”

WI-Bred Weather Startup Understory Raises $1.9M, Moves HQ to Boston

Understory, a weather data and analytics startup that moved from Madison, WI, to Boston, has raised $1.9 million in a seed funding round, the company announced today. Palo Alto, CA-based True Ventures led the round, with participation from RRE Ventures, Vegas Tech Fund, SK Ventures, and Boston entrepreneur and angel investor Andrew Payne. Understory previously … Continue reading “WI-Bred Weather Startup Understory Raises $1.9M, Moves HQ to Boston”

BioPharma Learns From Marvel, Begins Real Life Search For “X-Men”

Biopharma employees read, as you might expect, a wide spectrum of scientific journals and trade publications. What might be surprising is that their reading lists appear to have expanded recently to include classic Marvel comics. What’s led me to this conclusion? The Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB has sponsored an Innovation Challenge on the InnoCentive Website … Continue reading “BioPharma Learns From Marvel, Begins Real Life Search For “X-Men””

Ambri Obtains $35,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7d027815-0b52-4fa5-a559-9bc2602ea121 Date 4/30/2014 Company Name Ambri Mailing Address 19 Blackstone Street Cambridge, MA 02139 USA Company Description Ambri is an early-stage company working to develop and commercialize a new battery technology that will revolutionize grid-scale power storage. Our battery has the potential to cost significantly less than existing batteries. Website http://www.ambri.com Transaction … Continue reading “Ambri Obtains $35,000,000 New Funding Round”

Mobile App Hitlist Aims to Be a Travel Agent with Social Connections

Why choose a trip destination alone when friends can help? That is the central pitch behind the Hitlist app developed by TripCommon in New York. This recent entry in digital travel booking helps users consult friends while figuring out where they want to go on vacation. Getting the input of people who have already been … Continue reading “Mobile App Hitlist Aims to Be a Travel Agent with Social Connections”

What’s Hot in Boston Biotech: The Photos

Biogen Idec’s executive vice president of Research & Development, Douglas Williams said it best: “What’s hot in biotech? I’d say damn near everything.” Williams, of course, was kicking off the festivities at Xconomy Boston’s latest life sciences event, “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech,” on April 16. Attendees then got a taste of the big ideas … Continue reading “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech: The Photos”

Milwaukee Has Startup Ecosystem Elements, Awaits Chain Reaction

Obviously the startup communities on the coasts are different than those in “flyover country” (as it is often referred to). I’d like to comment on some of the differences between two startup communities I am familiar with: Boston and Milwaukee. While I grew up in Milwaukee, I left after high school to go to MIT … Continue reading “Milwaukee Has Startup Ecosystem Elements, Awaits Chain Reaction”

Why Would Amazon Want its Own Smartphone, Anyway?

It’s been called one of the worst-kept secrets in the mobile technology industry, but it’s still generating a lot of buzz—Amazon.com, the king of online commerce and trend-setting provider of cloud-computing services, wants to sell its own smartphone. With leaks and rumors being churned out on an almost daily basis, it looks like those long-developing … Continue reading “Why Would Amazon Want its Own Smartphone, Anyway?”

Profitect Obtains New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c8f2dbba-9c56-4c21-897a-d941acf8c6d6 Date 4/29/2014 Company Name Profitect Mailing Address 1601 Trapelo Rd. Waltham, MA 02451 USA Company Description Simply put, the complexity of retail is accelerating. With thousands of stores and millions of products being purchased by even more consumers through a variety of channels, the scale of retail gets bigger every day. … Continue reading “Profitect Obtains New Funding Round”

“Top of Rockies” Honors Xconomy’s Davidson with 2 First Place Awards

We’re proud to report this morning that one of our own has added his name to the summit log in the “Top of the Rockies” journalism competition awards, a program organized by the Colorado Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Michael Davidson, who joined Xconomy just over a year ago as editor of … Continue reading ““Top of Rockies” Honors Xconomy’s Davidson with 2 First Place Awards”

Six Foods Cooks Up Cricket-Flour Chips & Big Dreams for Bug Meals

If you’ve never eaten bugs before, here’s an interesting tidbit: fried crickets are a lot more substantial than you might think. The first bite is crunchy, which isn’t much of a surprise. But where you might expect a thin, empty shell, the bug offers up a thick, chewy little nugget, not unlike a small hunk … Continue reading “Six Foods Cooks Up Cricket-Flour Chips & Big Dreams for Bug Meals”

Setem Technologies Secures $1,500,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e53ad79d-b025-4357-8862-486b990c1cd1 Date 4/28/2014 Company Name Setem Technologies Mailing Address 12 Kent Way Byfield, MA 01922 USA Company Description Setem Technologies is a company developing software that separates voice from ambient noise. Website http://www.setemtech.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory … Continue reading “Setem Technologies Secures $1,500,000 New Financing Round”

How A Kidney Drug Almost Torpedoed Concert Pharma’s IPO

[Updated, 4/27/14, 10:49 am ET] Drug development is a humbling thing. Hard as you might try, the numbers show that 90 percent of the time, you’ll fail. What if the signs of such a failure were to emerge, of all times, when you’re pitching an IPO? That’s just the situation that Concert Pharmaceuticals confronted last … Continue reading “How A Kidney Drug Almost Torpedoed Concert Pharma’s IPO”

Beauty Is Everywhere, Except On Your TV Screen. Time to Change That.

Your mother probably taught you to turn off the TV when you weren’t watching it. That made sense, back in the day: television sets used to consume a lot of juice. Today, they don’t. If you bought the largest, most electricity-guzzling flat-screen TV you could find and left it on all the time, you’d still … Continue reading “Beauty Is Everywhere, Except On Your TV Screen. Time to Change That.”

Boston Tech Roundup: docTrackr, WiTricity, Dogpatch Labs

Here’s a splash of news about acquisitions, executive hires, and incubator shutdowns from around the Boston innovation scene to wind up your week: —DocTrackr, a developer of document-management software, has been acquired for $10 million cash. The buyer is New York-based Intralinks, a publicly traded enterprise software company. Intralinks CEO Ron Hovsepian tells GigaOm that … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: docTrackr, WiTricity, Dogpatch Labs”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sarepta, Alkermes, Boston Biotech, & More

It was megamerger week in the pharma world. Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, and Eli Lilly executed the drugmaking equivalent to the most complex three-way fantasy football trade of all time. Pfizer was rumored to make a kajillion dollar bid for AstraZeneca. Allergan has become the ever-acquisitive Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ latest target. Even a $13 billion med tech buyout … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sarepta, Alkermes, Boston Biotech, & More”

Two San Francisco Startups Sharing In Third Rock’s Rich Third Fund

Third Rock Ventures, an investment firm known for founding life sciences companies from scratch, made a big splash last year by raising $516 million for its third fund while many of its fellow venture capital firms were struggling. Since then, it’s been putting that new money to work. Over the past three months, Third Rock’s … Continue reading “Two San Francisco Startups Sharing In Third Rock’s Rich Third Fund”

Putney Secures $3,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c9d356be-c32a-4fe9-a017-058f8c590e24 Date 4/24/2014 Company Name Putney Mailing Address One Monument Square Portland, ME 04101 USA Company Description Putney is a pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of high quality drugs for pets. We focus on developing generics for frequently used drugs where cost is a barrier to prescribing, compliance or use. Website … Continue reading “Putney Secures $3,000,000 New Funding”

Aciex Therapeutics Receives $1,599,860 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9c14424c-c638-455e-a5cc-5a11bcfad1ab Date 4/24/2014 Company Name Aciex Therapeutics Mailing Address 470 Atlantic Avenue 4th Floor Boston, MA 02210 USA Company Description The company is developing ophthalmic pharmaceutical products to treat ocular diseases. Website http://www.aciexrx.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $1,599,860 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. … Continue reading “Aciex Therapeutics Receives $1,599,860 New Funding”

WordStream Lands $40,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f4224f47-6be3-46f6-885c-6c4469c014bf Date 4/24/2014 Company Name WordStream Mailing Address 177 Huntington Ave 16th Floor Boston, MA 02115 USA Company Description The company is provider of search engine marketing and optimization solutions. Website http://www.wordstream.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $40,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. Contact … Continue reading “WordStream Lands $40,000 New Funding Round”

IntraLinks Acquires DocTrackr for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fe551465-8414-4a9e-b13b-d3fcc0e73dbf Date 4/24/2014 Company Name DocTrackr Mailing Address 275 Third Street Cambridge, MA 02142 USA Company Description docTrackr is a seamless document management service that gives you control of your documents at all times, regardless of their location. Website http://www.doctrackr.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms … Continue reading “IntraLinks Acquires DocTrackr for Undisclosed Sum”

NFL’s Richard Sherman on Social Media: “You Can Only be Yourself”

[Updated 4/24] He’s one of the best players on the NFL’s top defense, and just won the first Super Bowl in his team’s history. But Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman might be just as well-known for another skill: highly entertaining online smack-talk with other NFL players. There’s more than a bit of calculation behind his … Continue reading “NFL’s Richard Sherman on Social Media: “You Can Only be Yourself””

Corporate Acquisitions of Startups: Why Do They Fail?

For decades large companies have gone shopping in Silicon Valley for startups. Lately the pressure of continuous disruption has forced them to step up the pace. More often than not the results of these acquisitions are disappointing. What can companies learn from others’ failed efforts to integrate startups into large companies? The answer – there … Continue reading “Corporate Acquisitions of Startups: Why Do They Fail?”

U.S. 10th in Average Internet Speed Rankings, S. Korea Still No. 1

Internet connection speeds generally improved in the U.S. last year, and the country’s broadband capacity should keep getting better with new ultrafast initiatives being rolled out by network operators and local governments alike. But the average U.S. connection speed is still just 10th worldwide, and greatly lags global leader South Korea—which is creeping closer to … Continue reading “U.S. 10th in Average Internet Speed Rankings, S. Korea Still No. 1”

Kala Pharmaceuticals Secures $22,500,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b0fbf77d-514b-49d0-9035-8570b349d194 Date 4/23/2014 Company Name Kala Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 100 Beaver St. Waltham, MA 02453 USA Company Description Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biotechnology company founded upon a proprietary drug delivery technology. By utilizing this unique technology, Kala aims to address unmet therapeutic needs of various diseases and conditions in a fundamentally … Continue reading “Kala Pharmaceuticals Secures $22,500,000 Series B Financing Round”

Zillow, Trulia, Placester? Boston Startup Moves Into Real Estate Ads

Get through the Series A crunch? Check. Move into online advertising? Check, check. Sign up big publisher? Check-plus. Boston-based Placester is moving up in the world of real estate startups. The company said today it has raised a $5.5 million Series A funding round led by previous investor Romulus Capital. Angel investors also participated in … Continue reading “Zillow, Trulia, Placester? Boston Startup Moves Into Real Estate Ads”

7 Takeaways From “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech”

Sometimes it takes a contrarian viewpoint, and a little guts, to get a scientific idea off the ground. Other times an idea can be so enthralling that venture firms will fight one another—or join forces— just to get a piece of it. Little surprise that these things describe some of the upstarts coming out of … Continue reading “7 Takeaways From “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech””

Orthopaedic Synergy Secures $27,500,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0b3036d6-a01b-44bd-8e69-339ac445368d Date 4/22/2014 Company Name Orthopaedic Synergy Mailing Address 50 O’Connell Way East Taunton, MA 02718 USA Company Description Orthopaedic Synergy Inc is a provider of products for the orthopaedic device market. Website http://www.orthopedicsynergy.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $27,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory … Continue reading “Orthopaedic Synergy Secures $27,500,000 New Round”

SimpliSafe Lands New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6920d9e1-856d-4e18-84f7-67111c8d9d45 Date 4/22/2014 Company Name SimpliSafe Mailing Address 1035 Cambridge St. Cambridge, MA 02141 USA Company Description Our mission is to help people live safely without introducing any complexity, hassle or annoyance into their lives. For over a century, the alarm security industry has been selling out-dated technology at highway-robbery prices. A … Continue reading “SimpliSafe Lands New Funding”

Orthopaedic Synergy Obtains $15,060,392 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f9d3552a-f03c-43a4-8648-c44c90998cbe Date 4/22/2014 Company Name Orthopaedic Synergy Mailing Address 50 O’Connell Way East Taunton, MA 02718 USA Company Description Orthopaedic Synergy Inc is a provider of products for the orthopaedic device market. Website http://www.orthopedicsynergy.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,060,392 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC … Continue reading “Orthopaedic Synergy Obtains $15,060,392 New Round”

A Big Day for Xconomy: Introducing Elise Craig and Alex Lash

At a growing media startup like Xconomy, there’s no task more thrilling than welcoming new editors and writers on board. Today is especially exciting, because I’ve got not one but two additions to tell you about. First, I’m extremely pleased to announce that Elise Craig has joined us as the new Editor of Xconomy San … Continue reading “A Big Day for Xconomy: Introducing Elise Craig and Alex Lash”

Sarepta to Submit Application for Duchenne Drug, Shares Boom

[Updated, 12:47 pm ET] The Sarepta Therapeutics rollercoaster ride is back on the upswing. Today, the Cambridge, MA-based company revealed that it’s reached an agreement with the FDA on a clinical plan that will give it a shot to win early approval for its Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy drug, eteplirsen, before it completes a larger, Phase … Continue reading “Sarepta to Submit Application for Duchenne Drug, Shares Boom”

Placester Secures $8,170,177 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=48b34d3f-ef3c-4167-bfa2-fd1feca95f0e Date 4/21/2014 Company Name Placester Mailing Address 101 Arch Street Boston, MA 02110 USA Company Description We focus primarily on providing massive distribution, premium listing services, and deep analytics to help real estate companies advertise and generate business. We care deeply about improving the real estate industry through the use of … Continue reading “Placester Secures $8,170,177 New Funding”

Zafgen Lines Up $86M IPO to Bankroll Obesity Drug Push

Zafgen signaled an IPO was likely on the way last year when it added firms like RA Capital, which typically back public companies, to its pool of investors. So perhaps it’s no surprise that the Cambridge, MA-based company has become the latest biotech to join the crowded IPO queue. Zafgen is planning to raise up … Continue reading “Zafgen Lines Up $86M IPO to Bankroll Obesity Drug Push”

FloDesign Sonics Garners $10,000,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a2719c24-73e2-44fd-a816-f6a96ca59463 Date 4/19/2014 Company Name FloDesign Sonics Mailing Address 380 Main St. Wilbraham, MA 01095 USA Company Description FloDesign Sonics is changing the separations and filtration markets through a novel acoustic technology. By leveraging breakthroughs in the use of 3D acoustic standing waves, FloDesign Sonics is able to capture, separate and purify … Continue reading “FloDesign Sonics Garners $10,000,000 Series A Funding Round”