Category: Boston

Nomi Acquires Media Armor for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=be1f25b3-b525-45e6-874e-f040a2bffb18 Date 3/27/2014 Company Name Media Armor Mailing Address 9 Hamilton Place Boston, MA 02108 USA Company Description We empower organizations to invest in mobile display advertising with the same confidence as online! Mobile is an exciting, yet nascent space, characterized by a lack of measurement. Media Armor is here to solve … Continue reading “Nomi Acquires Media Armor for Undisclosed Sum”

Why Internal Ventures Are Different from External Startups

This post follows directly on Steve Blank’s earlier excellent post, Why Companies are not Startups. The question of how corporations can be more innovative is one I have wrestled with for a long time. For those who don’t know, I wrote the book Open Innovation in 2003, and followed it with Open Business Models in … Continue reading “Why Internal Ventures Are Different from External Startups”

Dyn Buys Nettica, Ninth Acquisition Since 2010

Some consolidation in the Web infrastructure market today. Dyn, a once-bootstrapped tech company from Manchester, NH, says it has acquired Nettica, a managed DNS (Domain Name System) provider in Atlanta. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but at least some of Nettica’s team will be joining Dyn at its headquarters. Dyn has been on an … Continue reading “Dyn Buys Nettica, Ninth Acquisition Since 2010”

Calling All Angels: Practically Anyone Can Be an Angel Investor

I’m a big fan of angel investing. The thrill of helping innovative entrepreneurs launch their dreams is as exciting as anything I’ve ever done. I once heard someone say your life is divided into thirds—you spend the first third learning, the second third earning, and the last third returning. I like that. For me, angel … Continue reading “Calling All Angels: Practically Anyone Can Be an Angel Investor”

HourlyNerd Garners $4,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=91380d7c-34ae-4f0b-89ef-110e56a72250 Date 3/26/2014 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 $4,000,000 Series A Round”

Circle Garners $17,000,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6f0b3cc8-32ae-4385-8314-acccc5e585bf Date 3/26/2014 Company Name Circle Mailing Address 332 Congress Street 4th Floor Boston, MA 02210 USA Company Description Circle is about enabling global digital currency and transforming the world economy with secure, simple, and less costly technology for storing and using money. We’re as excited about Bitcoin and digital currency as … Continue reading “Circle Garners $17,000,000 Series B Round”

Neurophage Nabs $17M More to Hunt Down Brain Plaques

Neurophage has spent years developing a way to break up disease-causing plaques in the brain, based on lessons it learned from a virus that infects bacteria. Today, it raised enough cash to begin testing that method out in its first clinical trial. Cambridge, MA-based Neurophage closed out a $17 million Series D round from both … Continue reading “Neurophage Nabs $17M More to Hunt Down Brain Plaques”

NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals Garners $17,000,000 Series D Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ce5ffeb2-f95f-437a-9bfc-93acc3207129 Date 3/25/2014 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 Garners $17,000,000 Series D Financing Round”

Mobile Madness 2014: The Photos and Trends

In honor of our sixth annual Mobile Madness conference, here are six takeaways from Wednesday, to go along with photos from the event: 1. “Mobile” is redundant. Possibly no one under the age of 25 uses the word. 2. The rest of us should be more specific when we say “mobile.” Do we mean smartphones? … Continue reading “Mobile Madness 2014: The Photos and Trends”

Boston Tech Roundup: Flybridge, Globoforce, Boston Seed, & More

The past week was a busy one in Boston-area innovation. Here’s a bunch of financing news, from startups, established companies, and investors, that cropped up around the region: —Flybridge Capital Partners is trying to raise $125 million for its fourth fund, according to a new SEC filing. That’s a lot smaller than Flybridge’s $280 million … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Flybridge, Globoforce, Boston Seed, & More”

A ‘Sleeper’ No More: Actifio Raises $100M, Deferring IPO Plans

About a year ago, after his company raised $50 million and was valued at $500 million, Actifio CEO Ash Ashutosh had an IPO pretty clearly in his sights. “The enterprise space is all about being a public company,” Ashutosh said, adding that Actifio was preparing to file for a public offering in the next 18 months … Continue reading “A ‘Sleeper’ No More: Actifio Raises $100M, Deferring IPO Plans”

Little Insights About ‘Big Data’

A little over a year ago I became the CEO of a company in the “big data” space that is developing predictive analytics software. My CTO is the “data guy,” and I’m the “business guy.” While my background is technical, I had very little experience in data or analytics and only knew about big data … Continue reading “Little Insights About ‘Big Data’”

XLerant Receives $450,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8e8ff59a-ec36-4c2f-8671-057341ee28a3 Date 3/24/2014 Company Name XLerant Mailing Address 400 Main Street Stamford, CT 06901 USA Company Description BudgetPak helps control budget inflation by making each decision that impacts the budget transparent, and by making it easy for line managers to develop a valid budget to begin with. Best of all, BudgetPak integrates … Continue reading “XLerant Receives $450,000 New Round”

Actifio Lands $100,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ad72b3b9-e04d-4abf-b57c-c1ae7da16659 Date 3/24/2014 Company Name Actifio Mailing Address 333 Wyman Street Waltham, MA 02451 USA Company Description Actifio is radically simple copy data management. Our technology replaces any or all of the siloed data protection and availability storage applications you might be using today – backup, snapshot, business continuity, disaster recovery, test … Continue reading “Actifio Lands $100,000,000 New Financing”

Semyon Dukach Goes From VC Outsider to Techstars Boston Head

It’s a time of transition for Techstars Boston—and the local startup ecosystem. The Boston branch of the seed-stage fund and accelerator program is getting a new managing director. He is Semyon Dukach: a fast-rising angel investor, the former CEO and current chairman of e-mail marketing firm SMTP (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SMTP]]), and a former leader of the … Continue reading “Semyon Dukach Goes From VC Outsider to Techstars Boston Head”

The Missing Middle Class: Jobs in the Second Machine Age

Technological change is not a tide that lifts all boats in our economy. The truth is that it’s more like a tsunami. It threatens to overturn all the boats and drown their occupants, sparing only the lucky few who have already reached safety in the hills. That’s the kind of admission you won’t often see … Continue reading “The Missing Middle Class: Jobs in the Second Machine Age”

RunKeeper Not Spooked by New Apple, Google Health Push

If you’re an independent tech company based on mobile health and fitness data, this might have been a week that made you nervous. With back-to-back leaks and announcements, the two most important companies in mobile confirmed that their sights were set squarely on digital health. On Monday, there was the carefully revealed news that Apple … Continue reading “RunKeeper Not Spooked by New Apple, Google Health Push”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Proteon, Ataxion, NY Genome/Watson, & More

Deals, deals, and more deals on the East Coast this week. Some came together, some fell apart. Some might help change the face of cancer treatment—or they could fall flat. That’s the nature of dealmaking. Those stories and more below. —Sometimes an option-to-buy deal never leads to a buyout: see Cambridge, MA-based Proteon Therapeutics. A … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Proteon, Ataxion, NY Genome/Watson, & More”

What Four High-School Kids Taught Me About the Future of Mobile

“E-mail doesn’t really exist in our generation,” said Caitlin Cheng, a junior at Milton Academy. Oh, just you wait, I thought, as I listened to a panel of Boston-area high-school students talk about how they use mobile devices. We keep hearing that e-mail is going away—kids don’t use it except for school—yet whenever a new … Continue reading “What Four High-School Kids Taught Me About the Future of Mobile”

Harvard Business School Rolls Out Online Education Platform, HBX

The Harvard-MIT rivalry is heating up in online-learning land. The two institutions collaborate on the nonprofit edX, but each also has its own efforts in digital learning, including massive open online courses (MOOCs). Earlier this week we reported on an effort at MIT to blend online and offline features in an entrepreneurship class offered through … Continue reading “Harvard Business School Rolls Out Online Education Platform, HBX”

Faraday Obtains $880,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=04bd35a2-be4a-4d83-bebd-2961d4bf335f Date 3/21/2014 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 Venture Equity Transaction Amount $880,000 Transaction Round Series … Continue reading “Faraday Obtains $880,000 Series A Funding Round”

MachineShop Secures $3,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ba7da888-1030-4d44-b5c8-2fc9fc0abe07 Date 3/21/2014 Company Name MachineShop Mailing Address 470 Atlantic Ave. Boston, MA 02210 USA Company Description MachineShop is the on-ramp to the Internet of Services and will forever change the way organizations and developers engage data, information and events from the hyper-connected world. Website http://www.machineshop.io Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “MachineShop Secures $3,000,000 Series A Round”

Cytogel Pharma Garners $240,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0687f9a9-3253-46bf-9ea2-61e9b4a55f4e Date 3/21/2014 Company Name Cytogel Pharma Mailing Address 3 Thorndal Circle Darien, CT 06820 USA Company Description Cytogel Pharma (Cytogel) is a bio-pharmaceutical development company focused on acquiring promising early-stage programs that offer significant potential both as platform technologies and high value product candidates. The company’s portfolio includes novel analgesic product … Continue reading “Cytogel Pharma Garners $240,000 New Financing Round”

Lessons From Pat McGovern for Entrepreneurs

Very sad about the passing of Pat McGovern, the Chairman of International Data Group (IDG). He was my mentor and friend for over 30 years, and a giant in the technology, media, market research, and venture capital fields. Today, I took some time to reflect on what Pat taught me as an entrepreneur and investor. … Continue reading “Lessons From Pat McGovern for Entrepreneurs”

One Laptop Per Child CEO: “We Have Achieved Our Goals”

When MIT Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte announced to the world in 2005 that his new One Laptop Per Child initiative would produce $100 laptops for students in poor nations, the resulting hullabaloo—a mixture of shock, skepticism, and enthusiasm—went on for several years. It was impossible to build a useful computer for that price, cynics … Continue reading “One Laptop Per Child CEO: “We Have Achieved Our Goals””

NinePoint Gets $34M From Corning, Others, For Medical Imaging Tech

NinePoint Medical made it from seedling to commercial-stage company on the strength of a $33 million round. Now, with its optical imaging device starting to trickle into hospitals across the country, the Cambridge, MA-based company has reloaded with a fresh batch of cash. NinePoint is announcing today that it’s raised a $34.5 million Series B … Continue reading “NinePoint Gets $34M From Corning, Others, For Medical Imaging Tech”

Kolltan Pharmaceuticals Secures $60,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=552daa84-247b-4506-ba59-01e7c6f9e298 Date 3/20/2014 Company Name Kolltan Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 300 George St. New Haven, CT 06511 USA Company Description Kolltan is a development-stage company advancing therapeutics that target well-defined and validated molecular mechanisms of disease in areas of critical clinical need. Website http://www.kolltan.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $60,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Kolltan Pharmaceuticals Secures $60,000,000 New Funding”

Coursolve and edX Blend Online, Offline in MIT Startup Course

Here’s a snapshot of something happening at the intersection of crowdsourcing, online education, and entrepreneurship. Boston-based edtech startup Coursolve is working with MIT and edX, the online education nonprofit, on a new Web class called “Entrepreneurship 101: Who is your customer?” The course is trying to connect students interested in entrepreneurship with companies and organizations … Continue reading “Coursolve and edX Blend Online, Offline in MIT Startup Course”

Boston VCs See Madison Healthtech Play Following Nashville’s Path

There’s been plenty of rosy talk lately from entrepreneurs and stakeholders in Madison, WI, about the area’s potential for becoming a national hub for healthtech startups. On Tuesday, Madison got an endorsement from Boston venture capitalists who are starting to take notice of the entrepreneurial activity happening here, including in health information technology. Local optimists … Continue reading “Boston VCs See Madison Healthtech Play Following Nashville’s Path”

Ataxion Secures $17,000,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5d066d1e-fd9c-4895-a281-8291f30c6e77 Date 3/19/2014 Company Name Ataxion Mailing Address 25 First Street Cambridge, MA 02141 USA Company Description Ataxion is a discovery-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for rare, debilitating, and underserved neurologic diseases. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $17,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes In addition to participating … Continue reading “Ataxion Secures $17,000,000 Series A Funding Round”

Verdasys Receives $12,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=53ffb2cf-320c-4862-b33b-9d9f2f748901 Date 3/19/2014 Company Name Verdasys Mailing Address 860 Winter St. Waltham, MA 02451 USA Company Description Verdasys was founded with a mission – To develop a new generation of software solutions to totally protect and manage the flow of data essential to the operation of businesses on a global basis. Website … Continue reading “Verdasys Receives $12,000,000 New Round”

Spritz Technology Obtains $1,000,000 Seed Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6d6884b1-1bd0-43e1-b4aa-e3bb0c4f12f1 Date 3/19/2014 Company Name Spritz Technology Mailing Address 35 Maple Street Stoneham, MA 02180 USA Company Description Spritz Inc. is a Boston-based start-up focused on text streaming technology and its integration into modern communication. The founders are serial entrepreneurs with extensive experience in developing and commercializing innovative technologies. Website http://www.spritzinc.com Transaction … Continue reading “Spritz Technology Obtains $1,000,000 Seed Funding”

See You Wednesday at NERD for Mobile Madness 2014

How has the Boston mobile ecosystem grown up? Who will be the next big acquisition in town? How do high-school kids use smartphones and tablets? What do they expect from the technology in the future? What does the future of mobile health, retail, automotive, and payments look like? What’s actually hot, and what’s just hype? … Continue reading “See You Wednesday at NERD for Mobile Madness 2014”

Get the Heck Out of the Building in Founder’s School: Part 2

With a ~$2 billion endowment the Kauffman Foundation is the largest non-profit focused on entrepreneurship in the world. Giving away $80 million to every year (~$25 million to entrepreneurial causes) makes Kauffman the dominant player in the entrepreneurship space. Kauffman launched Founders School – a new education series to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses during … Continue reading “Get the Heck Out of the Building in Founder’s School: Part 2”

Cracking K-12 Edtech: Lessons From TenMarks, Panorama, & Playrific

The state of the union in education technology is noisy and bewildering. Consider the many factions. There are online distance-learning efforts to reach students, such as MOOCs (massive open online courses); Web-based tools for teachers and administrators; content-publishing plays ranging from games and apps to e-textbooks; collaborative interfaces for students and teachers; skills-assessment software for … Continue reading “Cracking K-12 Edtech: Lessons From TenMarks, Panorama, & Playrific”

Proteon, Looking Past Ill-Fated Novartis Deal, Goes it Alone

You often hear about option-to-buy deals in biotech, where a big firm will pay a fee for the right to acquire a smaller company later on. But as the phrase suggests, it’s no guarantee that a buyout will take place. Sometimes, for one reason or another, talks break down, and the little guy has to … Continue reading “Proteon, Looking Past Ill-Fated Novartis Deal, Goes it Alone”

Inbox Health Garners $150,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0767d221-1027-40e6-9f75-6cdbd954ea07 Date 3/18/2014 Company Name Inbox Health Mailing Address 2 Brookside Court Madison, CT 06443 USA Company Description Inbox Health is creating software that simplifies patient billing and payments to make health care providers more efficient. Website http://www.inboxhealth.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $150,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes The company … Continue reading “Inbox Health Garners $150,000 Seed Round”

GlyGenix Therapeutics Receives $150,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cd1164b0-b9c2-4357-8eea-bb2d62a611e6 Date 3/18/2014 Company Name GlyGenix Therapeutics Mailing Address 15 Research Drive Woodbridge, CT 06525 USA Company Description GlyGenix Therapeutics, Inc. (GTI) is focused on treating and curing Glycogen Storage Diseases (GSDs). Our primary focus is to cure GSD type 1a, which is caused by an inherited gene mutation resulting in altered … Continue reading “GlyGenix Therapeutics Receives $150,000 Seed Financing Round”

Qualtre Receives $8,000,000 Series C Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ae6a4a99-244c-484d-ac83-bd178e8212ef Date 3/18/2014 Company Name Qualtre Mailing Address 225 Cedar Hill Street Marlborough, MA 01752 USA Company Description Qualtre Inc. is commercializing the next generation of these inertial sensors, further broadening their applicability in CE devices like cellular handsets, personal navigation devices, and gaming controllers. Using a proprietary high-performance, low-cost technology platform, … Continue reading “Qualtre Receives $8,000,000 Series C Funding”

NinePoint Medical Receives $34,558,476 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f6071643-7b61-4a22-940c-00fdfaf5dfdf Date 3/18/2014 Company Name NinePoint Medical Mailing Address One Kendall Square Cambridge, MA 02139 USA Company Description NinePoint Medical is positioned to improve patient care through the development of medical devices that enable high-resolution in-vivo imaging. Using advanced optical technologies, NinePoint Medical empowers treating physicians and pathologists to image cross-sectionally to … Continue reading “NinePoint Medical Receives $34,558,476 New Financing”

Ataxion Emerges From Stealth With $17M, Option Deal With Biogen

Last year, a once-promising Danish biotech named NeuroSearch completed a precipitous fall from grace and announced plans to shut down. But before it did, NeuroSearch managed to ship some of its assets off to other places. A few of them landed in the hands of Atlas Venture, which is giving them a second lease on … Continue reading “Ataxion Emerges From Stealth With $17M, Option Deal With Biogen”

Mobile Madness Is This Wednesday: 8 Startup Tix Left to Give Away

Our annual spring mobile event, Mobile Madness 2014, takes place this Wednesday afternoon. We’re coming down to the closing stretch when it comes to buying tickets—and if you are at a startup company, it’s the last chance to snag a free ticket. That’s because last week MIT Sloan Executive Education and The Martin Trust Center … Continue reading “Mobile Madness Is This Wednesday: 8 Startup Tix Left to Give Away”

Tip-Skimming Lawsuits Against Uber Motor Along

As it battles established competitors and local regulators around the country, Uber is becoming known for its legal troubles almost as much as its slick car-for-hire smartphone app.  Recently, the focus of those skirmishes has been local regulations in a handful of cities around the country. But Uber also continues to battle several lawsuits in … Continue reading “Tip-Skimming Lawsuits Against Uber Motor Along”

Sand 9 Obtains $4,415,363 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1a04bb81-42b5-45a9-8e4f-3687d079d45b Date 3/17/2014 Company Name Sand 9 Mailing Address One Kendall Square Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Sand 9, Inc. is a venture funded startup company, dedicated to the design of Radio Frequency components that will dramatically improve the performance and increase the capabilities of wireless devices. Our disruptive proprietary technology offers … Continue reading “Sand 9 Obtains $4,415,363 New Financing Round”

VoltDB Lands $8,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=38448b81-1c74-44d5-9302-5a528d27b92f Date 3/17/2014 Company Name VoltDB Mailing Address 209 Burlington Road Bedford, MA 01730 Company Description VoltDB is solving the problem of database scalability for applications with fast-growing transaction (OLTP) workloads such as those found in Web 2.0, financial trading, gaming, telecommunications and software as a service (SaaS) businesses. Website http://voltdb.com Transaction … Continue reading “VoltDB Lands $8,000,000 New Financing”

Next Step Living Lands $3,450,548 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=08cc58f0-cbaa-4bc7-9002-781540ea17cd Date 3/17/2014 Company Name Next Step Living Mailing Address 21 Drydock Ave 2nd Floor Boston, MA 02210 Company Description Next Step Living is a residential energy efficiency company, providing home energy diagnostics and improvements to the greater New England area. We are a socially-conscious, environmentally focused, results-driven organization dedicated to helping … Continue reading “Next Step Living Lands $3,450,548 New Funding”

Next Step Living Garners $3,450,548 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=08cc58f0-cbaa-4bc7-9002-781540ea17cd Date 3/17/2014 Company Name Next Step Living Mailing Address 21 Drydock Ave 2nd Floor Boston, MA 02210 Company Description Next Step Living is a residential energy efficiency company, providing home energy diagnostics and improvements to the greater New England area. We are a socially-conscious, environmentally focused, results-driven organization dedicated to helping … Continue reading “Next Step Living Garners $3,450,548 New Funding”

Drync Receives $168,466 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=617ec884-0c1a-4f09-a16e-eed714f92de9 Date 3/17/2014 Company Name Drync Mailing Address 37 Larchwood Dr. Cambridge, MA 02138 Company Description Drync is a Boston-based mobile software application that enables consumers to purchase wine at the moment it is most relevant to them – while they are drinking it. Website http://www.drync.com Transaction Type Crowdfunder Transaction Amount $168,466 … Continue reading “Drync Receives $168,466 New Funding”