Category: Boston

TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals Acquires Shape Pharmaceuticals for $13,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1c573583-fdb6-4d43-9150-0b5b3cb09916 Date 4/8/2014 Company Name Shape Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 55 Cambridge Pkwy. Cambridge, MA 02142 USA Company Description Shape Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is developing a novel, topical HDAC inhibitor, SHP-141, currently in early clinical development, for the treatment of patients with cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL). Website http://www.shapepharma.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount … Continue reading “TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals Acquires Shape Pharmaceuticals for $13,000,000”

Announcing Xconomy University’s First Class: The Mobile Roadmap, May 6

We’re all on the move these days. And one of our biggest fears, more than losing our wallets and purses, is leaving our phones behind. But the amazing amount of innovation we’ve experienced so far when it comes to phones and mobile computing is just the tip of the iceberg. And maybe what we should … Continue reading “Announcing Xconomy University’s First Class: The Mobile Roadmap, May 6”

Bush, Draper Back Health IT Startup Wellframe as Sector Heats Up

The world of health IT apps just got more competitive. Boston-based startup Wellframe said today it has raised $1.5 million in seed funding from some big names: Jonathan Bush, CEO of Athenahealth; Tim Draper, founder and managing director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson; Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, president of the British Medical Association; Russ Nash, former global managing … Continue reading “Bush, Draper Back Health IT Startup Wellframe as Sector Heats Up”

Crowdfunding Startups: Opportunities and Bottlenecks

There has been a bit of action for a while now in the crowdfunding world, and certain startups have been able to get themselves off the ground using Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and similar sites. By and large, these types of financings have gone to companies that are building physical products, digital games, and the like. Fundings … Continue reading “Crowdfunding Startups: Opportunities and Bottlenecks”

Daktari Diagnostics Garners $12,999,995 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ff8fb08e-2ba2-4b59-b555-04d02cb9c9b1 Date 4/7/2014 Company Name Daktari Diagnostics Mailing Address 85 Bolton St. Cambridge, MA 02140 USA Company Description Daktari Diagnostics, Inc., is a new diagnostics company focused exclusively on the most pressing challenges in global health. The company develops simple, accurate, and affordable products that deliver critical diagnostic information to clinicians and … Continue reading “Daktari Diagnostics Garners $12,999,995 New Funding”

Wellframe Receives $1,500,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8899f78f-8a7e-4851-8494-408277aa2678 Date 4/7/2014 Company Name Wellframe Mailing Address Undisclosed Boston, MA 02210 USA Company Description We are using mobile technology and artificial intelligence to translate clinical protocols into personalized, adaptive to-do lists, made available to patients from their mobile device and ensconced in a vigilant system. We are building a “Health GPS” … Continue reading “Wellframe Receives $1,500,000 Seed Round”

TipTap Garners $500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=feb5669f-f998-44ae-98b6-6a05a92e7d23 Date 4/7/2014 Company Name TipTap Mailing Address 43 Thorndike St. Cambridge, MA 02141 USA Company Description TipTap personalizes your buying experience by getting to know you and then matching your buying questions to the right people. Website http://www.tiptap.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes … Continue reading “TipTap Garners $500,000 New Funding”

Agios’s Blood Cancer Drug Shines in First Clinical Test

When David Schenkein left Genentech to lead Agios Pharmaceuticals in 2009, part of the draw was the fact that the Cambridge, MA-based startup was positioning itself as a trailblazer in a raw field of oncology—cancer metabolism. The idea, essentially, was to starve tumors by blocking the enzymes that help them gobble up nutrients. Five years … Continue reading “Agios’s Blood Cancer Drug Shines in First Clinical Test”

Boston Tech Roundup: Cue Ball, RBM, Alignable, Localytics, Timbre

We’ve got some investment, personnel, and acquisition news to wrap up the week in innovation around the Boston area:  —Cue Ball Capital, an unconventional Boston venture fund, has added more cash to its “evergreen” investment pool. According to an SEC filing, Cue Ball has added nearly $25 million in capital, following a roughly $30 million … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Cue Ball, RBM, Alignable, Localytics, Timbre”

A Letter to the Year 2061 (If We Make It That Far)

Dear Citizens of 2061, If you’re reading this, congratulations. You’ve survived the first half of the 21st century, and you’ve evidently still got computers, libraries, virtual-reality visors, or some kind of communications system that enabled you to dig up these old scribbles. I have some questions for you. I know you can’t really write back, … Continue reading “A Letter to the Year 2061 (If We Make It That Far)”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Berg, Forma/Celgene, Intarcia, & More

Big ambitions, and creative, risk-sharing deals—two concepts that often go hand in hand with biotech. They’re also the themes of two of the big stories on the East Coast this week. Those and plenty more below. —Drug discovery is expensive, time-consuming business. Framingham, MA-based Berg Pharma thinks it’s found a way to make it quicker … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Berg, Forma/Celgene, Intarcia, & More”

Patients Are Customers. Who Knew?

I was finally getting to my giant pile of reading this week when I saw an article in Health Care Information Week that included the following sentence:  As consumer satisfaction begins to have a bigger impact on the bottom line, more hospitals are hiring a chief patient experience officer (CXO) to treat patients like valued … Continue reading “Patients Are Customers. Who Knew?”

Vapotherm Garners $24,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=54ab9510-9604-4259-9c0a-6ffe0b03f1f0 Date 4/4/2014 Company Name Vapotherm Mailing Address 22 Exeter Drive Stevensville, NH 03833 USA Company Description Vapotherm, Inc. is a privately held company based in Stevensville on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, dedicated to the development, manufacture and marketing of respiratory devices that improve clinical outcomes, reduce overall delivery costs and improve quality … Continue reading “Vapotherm Garners $24,000,000 New Funding”

The Big Patent Lawsuit Settlement Memo You’re Not Supposed to See

Boston University caused a stir last year with an explosion of patent-infringement lawsuits against the biggest names in electronics. At issue was blue LED technology that the school said was being used in a huge range of gadgets without permission from its inventor, a Boston University engineering professor. After several months of courtroom tussles, most … Continue reading “The Big Patent Lawsuit Settlement Memo You’re Not Supposed to See”

RedShift Systems Secures $751,549 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=580061a7-2be9-4408-a0ad-3b38b5896e20 Date 4/3/2014 Company Name RedShift Systems Mailing Address 41 Second Avenue Burlington, MA 01803 USA Company Description RedShift Systems Corp. is a pioneer in enabling low-cost, high-performance thermal imaging solutions for mass-market applications. The RedShift Thermal Light ValveTM technology translates thermal energy into visible images – allowing CMOS sensors to see … Continue reading “RedShift Systems Secures $751,549 New Funding Round”

P2 Science Lands $1,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fd865570-bd04-4aa5-8aa8-94b885fecf2c Date 4/3/2014 Company Name P2 Science Mailing Address 4 Science Park New Haven, CT 06511 USA Company Description The company is using patent pending technology from the Yale Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering to develop and manufacture a new class of high performance surfactants, C-glycosides (CG’s). Website http://www.p2science.com Transaction … Continue reading “P2 Science Lands $1,000,000 Series A Financing”

Topokine Therapeutics Secures New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=82bfbbe9-badf-4edd-84b4-d851c281596f Date 4/3/2014 Company Name Topokine Therapeutics Mailing Address 60 South Street Boston, MA 02111 USA Company Description Topokine is a Boston-based, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing topical medications to contour the face and body non-invasively. Our initial focus is on facial aesthetics. Today, the only available therapies to contour the face and … Continue reading “Topokine Therapeutics Secures New Funding Round”

Note to Government: Mandate Cybersecurity, Then Get Out of the Way

The digital economy stands on uncertain ground. From Target to Adobe, cybercriminals have infiltrated the networks of some of the largest businesses in the United States, turning 2013 into a record-setting year for data breaches. Companies lost more than 800 million records in nearly 2,200 incidents, doubling the loss of the previous highest year, 2011, … Continue reading “Note to Government: Mandate Cybersecurity, Then Get Out of the Way”

Backed By a Billionaire, Berg Pharma Aims to Speed Drugmaking

Even in the brazen world of biotech, Berg Pharma stands out for its grand ambitions. Co-founder Carl Berg, the Silicon Valley real estate billionaire, says his namesake Framingham, MA-based startup is capable of “revolutionizing” healthcare. President and chief technology officer Niven Narain says that Berg can cut the time, and expense, of drug development “in … Continue reading “Backed By a Billionaire, Berg Pharma Aims to Speed Drugmaking”

In California Pilot Trial, AirPooler Offers Ride-Sharing in the Sky

How long are you willing to drive for a weekend getaway? Steve Lewis figures most folks are willing to drive two or three hours each way. If you live in the Bay Area, that means you might get as far as Mendocino. If you live in San Diego, sandwiched between the ocean and the desert, … Continue reading “In California Pilot Trial, AirPooler Offers Ride-Sharing in the Sky”

Euthymics Bioscience Secures $7,500,273 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=15134b04-26fa-4b82-8a8a-4462a418cae9 Date 4/2/2014 Company Name Euthymics Bioscience Mailing Address 43 Thorndike St. Cambridge, MA 02141 USA Company Description Euthymics Bioscience, Inc. is a neuroscience-focused clinical-stage company developing next-generation treatments for depression. Euthymics’ initial focus is on patients who do not respond adequately to SSRIs. Website http://www.euthymics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Euthymics Bioscience Secures $7,500,273 New Funding”

FastCAP Obtains $5,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0dc90616-a271-408e-9978-bc135f1f331f Date 4/2/2014 Company Name FastCAP Mailing Address 21 Drydock Ave. 8th Floor East Boston, MA 02210 USA Company Description FastCAP delivers out-of-the-box, technology-based solutions to the toughest energy problems. From record-breaking energy storage devices for hybrid and electric vehicles, to game-changing solutions for energy exploration, every FastCAP team member is compelled … Continue reading “FastCAP Obtains $5,000,000 New Funding Round”

Alignable Secures $3,540,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f67ff6a2-cd40-4f11-ba1e-c7efd3123e41 Date 4/2/2014 Company Name Alignable Mailing Address 1000 Winter Street Waltham, MA 02451 USA Company Description Alignable shifts the power to local businesses by giving them a place to network, market together, grow and support their communities. Website http://www.alignable.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,540,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Alignable Secures $3,540,000 New Financing”

Morningstar Acquires ByAllAccounts for $28,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ca4328b3-192f-42ff-8842-8b0392687c45 Date 4/2/2014 Company Name ByAllAccounts Mailing Address 10 State Street Woburn, MA 01801 USA Company Description ByAllAccounts delivers reconciliation-ready data to investment management and advisory firms. Using innovative expert system technology, the company provides an unparalleled access to financial account data from thousands of custodians and enables efficient and timely account … Continue reading “Morningstar Acquires ByAllAccounts for $28,000,000”

ZappyLab Creates Social Apps for Biologists

As a young MIT post-doctoral student, Lenny Teytelman marveled at the things that can be done in the lab these days, like sequencing all the DNA in a single cell. “It’s mind-blowing,” Teytelman says. Yet despite all the parallel advances in the computer world, biological scientists don’t make use of digital devices when they log … Continue reading “ZappyLab Creates Social Apps for Biologists”

Convergence Forum East

Information and registration here. The Convergence Forum brings together high-level healthcare players to discuss and debate the most pressing topics of interest to the industry – topics like forging strong corporate partnerships; attracting funding from private and public sources; building successful research organizations; streamlining product development and approval; understanding the coming convergence of biology, software, … Continue reading “Convergence Forum East”

Imprivata Seeks $115M IPO, Growth in Health IT Security

It has been a long road for Imprivata, but the software company is finally showing its hand in its bid to go public. The Lexington, MA-based access-security firm has filed its S-1 paperwork for a proposed $115 million IPO. If all goes well, Imprivata will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker … Continue reading “Imprivata Seeks $115M IPO, Growth in Health IT Security”

Forma Gets $225M More, And a Potential Buyout, From Celgene

When Forma Therapeutics cozied up to Celgene last year, it looked like the Watertown, MA-based company had added another name to its list of partners and set itself up to potentially sell its own drugs someday, rather than just discover them for others. As it turns out, though, Forma got one more thing out of … Continue reading “Forma Gets $225M More, And a Potential Buyout, From Celgene”

Intarcia Therapeutics Obtains $200,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2c4017a8-3478-4333-a8e9-271ec212ff3e Date 4/1/2014 Company Name Intarcia Therapeutics Mailing Address 155 Seaport Boulevard 11th Floor Boston, MA 02210 USA Company Description Intarcia Therapeutics Inc, a privately held pharmaceutical company, is developing therapies for the treatment of cancer, immunological, and infectious diseases. Website http://www.intarcia.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $200,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “Intarcia Therapeutics Obtains $200,000,000 New Round”

Neurovance Obtains $3,000,003 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e90c0d6c-74c7-42ab-84c8-ceccf5c47d12 Date 4/1/2014 Company Name Neurovance Mailing Address 43 Thorndike Street Cambridge, MA 02141 USA Company Description Neurovance is a stealth pharmaceutical company developing pharmaceutical preparations for the treatment of disorder of the central nervous system. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,000,003 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes … Continue reading “Neurovance Obtains $3,000,003 New Financing Round”

Tech Startups Bringing Information, Action to Disaster Recovery

When calamity strikes, emergency responders offer the most vital form of relief to those affected—but technology can also lend a helping hand. New tools are being created to find out what happened in a disaster and then take action, thanks to innovations startups have developed. That can mean anything from getting quick access to live … Continue reading “Tech Startups Bringing Information, Action to Disaster Recovery”

Xconomy Boston’s Top Stories of Q1 2014: Editor’s Picks

A lot has happened in the first three months of 2014. Now that the first quarter is ending, and we’re all more than ready for spring, it’s time to look back on our top stories. As usual, these are my subjective picks. In many cases, but not all, they were high-traffic stories. Together they paint … Continue reading “Xconomy Boston’s Top Stories of Q1 2014: Editor’s Picks”

FDA Lifts Clinical Hold on Curis Cancer Drug, Shares Surge

Curis’ cancer drug just got a second lease on life. Now the Lexington, MA-based company will have to make something of it. Curis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRIS]]) said today that the FDA has lifted the partial clinical hold on CUDC-427, the experimental cancer drug it licensed from Genentech a few years ago. The FDA’s decision takes CUDC-427 … Continue reading “FDA Lifts Clinical Hold on Curis Cancer Drug, Shares Surge”

Learn the Future of New England Innovation: Announcing Boston 2034

What will the New England innovation scene look like in 20 years? What needs to happen for the region to maintain and even enhance its position as one of the world’s great technology and life sciences clusters? What major challenges are leading entrepreneurs and investors today thinking of that will not just create sustainable businesses … Continue reading “Learn the Future of New England Innovation: Announcing Boston 2034”

How Airports Became Ground Zero in the Rental Car Startup Wars

When Rujul Zaparde started running his company’s new peer-to-peer car rental service at San Francisco International Airport last year, it came with a heavy dose of entrepreneurial hustle. Glitz and glamour, not so much. “It was me, greeting you at the car in a terrible-looking green vest,” he says with a laugh. “It was pretty … Continue reading “How Airports Became Ground Zero in the Rental Car Startup Wars”

Appearing Briefly at Your Next Conference: “Whac-A-Mole” Speakers

Whac-A-Mole, for those of you who are not familiar with it, is a fast-paced arcade game in which mechanical moles pop quickly in and out of holes on a large board. You earn points by whacking them with a giant hammer whenever they pop out of their holes. You need really good reflexes to do … Continue reading “Appearing Briefly at Your Next Conference: “Whac-A-Mole” Speakers”

4 IT Mistakes All Startups Should Avoid

Information Technology (IT) can be a startup’s biggest asset. Take, for instance, the cloud, mobile devices, and social media—they have all opened up exciting new business opportunities for startups, while also offering them the tools to grow their business powerfully. Yet, we have seen multiple startups make critical IT mistakes. Consequently, their business operations become … Continue reading “4 IT Mistakes All Startups Should Avoid”

Allena Pharmaceuticals Lands $333,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2d25e477-a81b-4ca1-98f2-df31380928ed Date 3/31/2014 Company Name Allena Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address One Newton Executive Park Newton, MA 02462 USA Company Description Allena Pharmaceuticals is developing and commercializing non-systemic protein therapeutics to treat metabolic and orphan diseases, with a particular focus on nephrologic and urologic conditions. Website http://www.allenapharma.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $333,000 … Continue reading “Allena Pharmaceuticals Lands $333,000 New Financing”

Boston Tech Roundup: Oculus, Circle, HourlyNerd, Communispace

Boston-area venture capitalists scored a big win this week, while startups raised some more cash and an established company expanded its efforts: —Facebook‘s surprising acquisition of virtual reality headset maker Oculus looks like a quick victory for Boston-area venture firms Spark Capital and Matrix Partners, which both invested in Oculus last year. Bloomberg has the details, … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Oculus, Circle, HourlyNerd, Communispace”

Think Like a Founder Before Becoming One

February 2014 will go down in history as a month with two huge startup exits: Nest (acquired by Google for a whopping $3.2 billion) and WhatsApp (acquired by Facebook for an even more whopping $19 billion). If you haven’t caught the startup bug, there’s a good chance you will have caught it after this. What’s … Continue reading “Think Like a Founder Before Becoming One”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Neurophage, Boston Biotech, Insmed, & More

After two years of good vibes, rising valuations, and booming IPOs, biotech stocks finally began feeling the heat this week. Since last Friday, when politicians hammered Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]) for the price of its new hepatitis C drug, sofosbuvir, the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index has plummeted 10 percent. Is the worst over, or is a … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Neurophage, Boston Biotech, Insmed, & More”

Sugary Foods Are Killing Us. The Internet, Not So Much.

When I’m jittery from too much caffeine, I don’t blame it on Starbucks. It’s not entirely Hershey’s fault that I have an unhealthy love of chocolate. And if, in a moment of idleness, I click on a headline like 35 Foods From Your Childhood That Are Extinct Now, I don’t blame BuzzFeed for wasting three … Continue reading “Sugary Foods Are Killing Us. The Internet, Not So Much.”

Syndax Plots $69M IPO For Cancer Drug’s Stretch Run

Syndax Pharmaceuticals raised about $27 million in private financing last year to gear up for a late-stage clinical trial. Now, on the doorstep of that lengthy, 600-patient study, the Waltham, MA-based company is looking to Wall Street to get it to the finish line. Syndax late Thursday revealed plans to raise up to $69 million … Continue reading “Syndax Plots $69M IPO For Cancer Drug’s Stretch Run”

U.S. Deputy CTO Looking for a Few Good Data Fellows in Boston

Nick Sinai is coming back to Boston. The Harvard University grad and former Polaris Partners venture capitalist is in town Thursday for an evening event at hack/reduce, the big-data workspace in Cambridge, MA. Sinai is U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer at the White House, where he has served for the past three years. His specialties … Continue reading “U.S. Deputy CTO Looking for a Few Good Data Fellows in Boston”

What’s Hot in Boston Biotech: Here’s the Agenda for April 16

There are plenty of reasons Wall Street is jittery that a biotech bubble is about to pop. But this bull market formed for a reason: innovative new science is sprouting up all over the biotech world, and some of it is on the verge of potentially delivering some real new treatment options for patients. With … Continue reading “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech: Here’s the Agenda for April 16”

scPharmaceuticals Secures $16,000,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ec5ac6e7-2380-4988-8891-073088e37bfd Date 3/27/2014 Company Name scPharmaceuticals Mailing Address 75 Arlington Street Boston, MA 02116 USA Company Description scPharmaceticals is creating innovative and important new therapeutic options by administering drugs subcutaneously using a convenient two component delivery system suitable for patient self-administration. Website http://www.scpharma.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $16,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “scPharmaceuticals Secures $16,000,000 Series A Funding”

Variation Biotechnologies Receives $1,500,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c4a61a89-8aee-4e44-ab7d-5d59f54843d0 Date 3/27/2014 Company Name Variation Biotechnologies Mailing Address 222 Third Street Cambridge, MA 02142 USA Company Description Variation Biotechnologies, Inc. (VBI) creates intelligent vaccines that learn from nature. Our management and scientific team consists of industry-leading experts that have increased our product pipeline and partnerships. Website http://www.variationbiotech.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction … Continue reading “Variation Biotechnologies Receives $1,500,000 New Funding Round”