Category: Boston

Layer3 TV Obtains $21,000,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c8e022f2-4212-4f43-a445-b605a4acf2cb Date 3/15/2014 Company Name Layer3 TV Mailing Address 82 Broad Street Boston, MA 02110 Company Description Layer3 TV, Inc. is a next generation cable provider spearheading a new era of home media, combining the best of television, social, and digital life. Founded in 2013 by cable veterans Dave Fellows and Jeff … Continue reading “Layer3 TV Obtains $21,000,000 Series A Funding Round”

Boston Tech Roundup: Persimmon, OwnCloud, Basho, Echo Nest, Loci

Check out a few investments, executives coming and going, and busted business deals in this trip through the week’s Boston-area technology headlines: —Persimmon Technologies, a Wakefield, MA-based developer of advanced motors for high-tech manufacturing, has added about $8 million to its Series B round. The money came from two new investors: the ABB Group and Berwind … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Persimmon, OwnCloud, Basho, Echo Nest, Loci”

For Products, Technology Still Matters

Popular media has seriously overshot on the relative importance of marketing and design versus technology for product companies. Just spend some time perusing the usual outlets and you’ll quickly forget that startups employ technologists. What’s scary is it’s not just media—the rest of the world is starting to follow. The number of companies, raising very … Continue reading “For Products, Technology Still Matters”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: ImmusanT, NY Disruptors, Tesaro, & More

Immuno-oncology fever still rages. Another Third Rock Ventures-backed company looks primed for an IPO. We’ve got those stories and many more in a jam-packed roundup this week: —People with celiac disease have one option to be symptom-free: steer clear of gluten. But Cambridge, MA-based startup ImmusanT is trying to come up with a vaccine that … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: ImmusanT, NY Disruptors, Tesaro, & More”

From Cosimo to Cosmos: The Medici Effect in Culture and Technology

Deep inside the Palazzo Vecchio, the tall stone fortress that has served as the seat of government power in Florence since the 14th century, there’s a room called the Sala delle Carte Geografiche, the Hall of Maps. The cabinets lining the walls, which once held scientific instruments and other precious items, are decorated with 53 … Continue reading “From Cosimo to Cosmos: The Medici Effect in Culture and Technology”

EnEvolv Obtains $1,700,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d16e9da7-276c-477d-aebe-5588b5260ec7 Date 3/14/2014 Company Name EnEvolv Mailing Address 100 Morrissey Blvd. 3rd Floor Boston, MA 02125 Company Description There is an increasing need for critical resources such as energy, food, and medicine due to population growth and a global increase in economic prosperity. enEvolv is advancing bioengineering to develop cost effective and … Continue reading “EnEvolv Obtains $1,700,000 Series A Financing Round”

AviantLogic Garners $130,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=864d72cc-bc87-44f9-91f7-f8a211d21a84 Date 3/14/2014 Company Name AviantLogic Mailing Address 155 Hitchcock Court Cheshire, CT 06410 Company Description AviantLogic is a SaaS-based integrated marketing, news release placement & analytics technology company. Website http://www.aviantlogic.com Transaction Type Crowdfunder Transaction Amount $130,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. Not an offer or solicitation … Continue reading “AviantLogic Garners $130,000 New Funding”

In “Marketization” of Consumer Apps, Springpad Aims for Mainstream

The line between content and advertising grows blurrier by the day. That might be good for some tech startups—but to gain mainstream adoption, and users’ trust, they have to ride the trend in just the right way. The newest data point comes from Springpad, a Charlestown, MA-based company known for its personal-organizer app and notebook … Continue reading “In “Marketization” of Consumer Apps, Springpad Aims for Mainstream”

MIT Sloan Buys 20 Tickets for Startups to Attend Mobile Madness—Claim Yours Now

With just under a week to go until Xconomy’s annual Mobile Madness conference, MIT Sloan Executive Education and The Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship have stepped up in a big way—purchasing 20 tickets for those at startups wishing to attend the event. Anyone wishing to claim one of the tickets should write right away … Continue reading “MIT Sloan Buys 20 Tickets for Startups to Attend Mobile Madness—Claim Yours Now”

Sage Therapeutics Grabs $38M More For CNS Drugs

Sage Therapeutics has just reined in another big financing round and a new group of investors to help rev up its first clinical trial—and perhaps an IPO to boot. The Cambridge, MA-based startup said today it has nailed down a $38 million Series C round of equity financing and brought in several additional backers, among … Continue reading “Sage Therapeutics Grabs $38M More For CNS Drugs”

Partnership with AnaptysBio Gives Tesaro Entrée to Immuno-Oncology

San Diego’s AnaptysBio has cut a deal with with Tesaro (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TSRO]]) that gives the Waltham, MA-based biopharmaceutical a new opening in the hot field of cancer immunotherapy. Under the deal, Anaptys has granted Tesaro exclusive worldwide rights to preclinical antibody programs that target three “checkpoint” receptors (PD-1, TIM-3, and LAG-3) that regulate T cells, … Continue reading “Partnership with AnaptysBio Gives Tesaro Entrée to Immuno-Oncology”

Kensho Receives $10,080,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1576aeb3-3d7d-4db5-b024-bd69f8e90cdb Date 3/13/2014 Company Name Kensho Mailing Address 20 University Road Cambridge, MA 02138 Company Description Kensho combines natural language search queries, graphical user interfaces, and secure cloud computing to create a new class of analytics tools for investment professionals. Website http://www.kensho.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $10,080,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Kensho Receives $10,080,000 New Financing Round”

SAGE Therapeutics Lands $38,000,000 Series C Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7304f2e5-8c5e-4004-a33c-e19aa7d5e05e Date 3/13/2014 Company Name SAGE Therapeutics Mailing Address 215 First Street Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description SAGE Therapeutics’ mission is to make life better for patients with nervous systems diseases by discovering, developing, and delivering important new medicines to the market. Website http://www.sagerx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $38,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “SAGE Therapeutics Lands $38,000,000 Series C Round”

Loci Controls Garners $765,001 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=45e0db0c-c854-4a8d-8a7c-0f6f222a2ef6 Date 3/13/2014 Company Name Loci Controls Mailing Address 110 Chauncy Street Boston, MA 02421 Company Description Loci Controls maximizes revenue for landfill gas to energy projects by using wireless sensors to monitor & control gas collection. Website http://www.locicontrols.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $765,001 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Loci Controls Garners $765,001 New Financing Round”

Hiding in 172M Cab Rides: A New Frontier for the ‘Sharing Economy’

Splitting a cab fare isn’t usually what you’d call a high-tech activity, even with millions of people carrying sophisticated Internet portals in their pockets and purses. Researchers at MIT think it’s about time that changed. By analyzing a year’s worth of New York City cab rides, MIT’s Sensable City Lab was able to see just … Continue reading “Hiding in 172M Cab Rides: A New Frontier for the ‘Sharing Economy’”

One Week to Mobile Madness 2014: Boston Mobile Grows Up (and More)

We’re putting the finishing touches on a sparkling agenda for our sixth annual half-day conference on mobile tech. Yes, “Mobile Madness 2014: The Next Disruptors” is next Wednesday, March 19, at Microsoft NERD in Kendall Square, Cambridge. The full afternoon agenda is here. We’ll kick things off with a keynote panel on “Boston Mobile Grows … Continue reading “One Week to Mobile Madness 2014: Boston Mobile Grows Up (and More)”

Carriers Lost Round One Against WhatsApp. Can They Rebound?

The day after Mark Zuckerberg spent up to $19 billion on WhatsApp, the world’s wireless carriers suddenly had a lot to say about their own big plans for Internet-based mobile messaging.  Third-place U.S. carrier Sprint announced that its competitor app, Messaging Plus, was going to be pre-installed on most of its new Android smartphones. French … Continue reading “Carriers Lost Round One Against WhatsApp. Can They Rebound?”

Blend Therapeutics Obtains $999,999 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=505fec88-54d7-4009-ac43-2be9ddc47f3a Date 3/12/2014 Company Name Blend Therapeutics Mailing Address 134 Coolidge Avenue Watertown, MA 02472 Company Description Blend is pioneering controlled combination medicines that overcome the limitations of conventional combination therapy through their unprecedented ability to hit distinct disease pathways with multiple drugs in concert—at the desired sites, at the most effective … Continue reading “Blend Therapeutics Obtains $999,999 New Funding Round”

Get a Shot, Have Some Bread: ImmusanT’s Plan For a Celiac Vaccine

For people with celiac disease, there’s one way to avoid symptoms: don’t eat gluten. But what if a vaccine and some booster shots could let you eat all the wheat-filled food you want, without all the nasty consequences? That’s the kind of thing a Cambridge, MA-based startup called ImmusanT is trying to prove is possible. … Continue reading “Get a Shot, Have Some Bread: ImmusanT’s Plan For a Celiac Vaccine”

Brushing Off Clinical Setback, Cerulean Tees Up $75M IPO

Cerulean Pharma whiffed on its first attempt to prove that a nanoparticle-based cancer drug its been developing could help terminally ill lung cancer patients live longer. Now the Cambridge, MA-based company is going public to get the financial backing to see if the drug has better luck treating other cancer types. Cerulean aims to raise … Continue reading “Brushing Off Clinical Setback, Cerulean Tees Up $75M IPO”

Five Ways To Avoid Losing Money as An Angel Investor

I have an angel investor friend—let’s call this friend “Alex.” Alex has great deal flow and works hard to pick the best opportunities for investment. Alex has been frustrated over the past several years, however, because she doesn’t seem to be making any money. This is despite solid operational performance by several of the companies … Continue reading “Five Ways To Avoid Losing Money as An Angel Investor”

Merrimack Valley Startups Pushing Local Innovation, Global Lessons

Thirty miles north of Boston, and a million miles from Silicon Valley, they have a different way of doing innovation. The city is Lawrence, MA. It’s an old mill town with the distinction of being one of the poorest cities in Massachusetts. It’s had the same problems that you’ll find in many towns around the … Continue reading “Merrimack Valley Startups Pushing Local Innovation, Global Lessons”

SimpleTuition Secures $26,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=29700094-465d-4e67-bb5a-7b5bb46aff1d Date 3/10/2014 Company Name SimpleTuition Mailing Address 268 Summer Street Boston, MA 02210 Company Description SimpleTuition helps simplify the process for students to achieve higher education financing. Website http://www.simpletuition.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $26,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Atlas … Continue reading “SimpleTuition Secures $26,000,000 New Round”

ownCloud Receives $6,500,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2056b146-19fe-4493-89f7-8e9aa80d7c95 Date 3/10/2014 Company Name ownCloud Mailing Address 12 Foster Road Lexington, MA 02421 Company Description ownCloud gives you universal access to your files through a web interface or WebDAV. It also provides a platform to easily view & sync your contacts, calendars and bookmarks across all your devices and enables basic … Continue reading “ownCloud Receives $6,500,000 Series A Financing”

Boston Tech Roundup: Optio Labs, AppZero, Hadapt, North Bridge

We’ve got a couple of startup financing deals, some layoffs, and venture capitalist retirements in this quick rundown of Boston-area innovation news to end the week: —Optio Labs, a Boston-based company that makes security software for mobile devices, has raised a $10 million Series A investment. The money comes from Optio Labs’ parent company, Allied … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Optio Labs, AppZero, Hadapt, North Bridge”

Wayfair Confirms $157M Series B as IPO Looms

One of the Boston area’s most closely watched private tech companies is sure giving people a lot to watch lately. Wayfair, the e-commerce company that sells home goods ranging from sofas to power drills, confirmed on Friday that it’s raised a $157 million Series B investment round. The money came from growth-capital investors and was … Continue reading “Wayfair Confirms $157M Series B as IPO Looms”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: VentriNova, RainDance, Biogen, & More

Plenty of stories dot the roundup this week, as per usual. But on a personal note, I’d just like to say good luck to my colleague Luke Timmerman, who, as most Xconomy readers now know, is heading off to climb his latest mountain—a biography of Lee Hood. He’s a pro’s pro, a class act, and … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: VentriNova, RainDance, Biogen, & More”

Optio Labs Receives $10,000,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2fbed309-f16c-42b4-b38f-2b48379ba4d3 Date 3/7/2014 Company Name Optio Labs Mailing Address 33 Arch Street 32nd Floor Boston, MA 02110 Company Description Our vision is to become the world’s leading development engine for the conceptualization, invention and commercialization of disruptive, time-sensitive and relevant mobile technologies for today’s rapidly evolving environment. Website http://www.optiolabs.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Optio Labs Receives $10,000,000 Series A Funding”

Wayfair Receives $157,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c498d962-edcd-445d-aa20-74a9606f9c5b Date 3/7/2014 Company Name Wayfair Mailing Address 177 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02115 Company Description Wayfair is in the business of giving our customers easy online access to the world’s home stuff in one place. Wayfair believes that options for your home can come from just about anywhere, so we carry … Continue reading “Wayfair Receives $157,000,000 Series B Financing”

Music Startup Echo Nest, Born at MIT, Bought by Spotify

It’s a big day for The Echo Nest. Like so many Boston-area tech startups, the company is becoming part of a much bigger team through an acquisition. The Somerville, MA-based music company said today it has been acquired by Spotify, the Swedish streaming-music giant that has become prominent in the U.S. in recent years. The … Continue reading “Music Startup Echo Nest, Born at MIT, Bought by Spotify”

Persimmon Technologies Receives New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=129fa8c7-4b0d-4d2b-bfbd-53c392419b10 Date 3/6/2014 Company Name Persimmon Technologies Mailing Address 200 Harvard Mill Square Wakefield, MA 01880 Company Description Persimmon’s vision is to build the largest vacuum robotics company serving the Semiconductor, LED and Solar markets by 2020 in addition to growing Nidec Sankyo’s atmospheric robot business to the top market position by … Continue reading “Persimmon Technologies Receives New Financing Round”

AppZero Garners $3,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=76313c2a-0767-43cc-a237-c5255c3e4270 Date 3/6/2014 Company Name AppZero Mailing Address 300 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 Company Description Automating on-boarding and deployment of server applications to private, public, and hybrid clouds, AppZero brings one-click appstore simplicity to Windows server applications. AppZero is the fastest and most flexible way to move workloads across clouds and … Continue reading “AppZero Garners $3,000,000 New Round”

Spotify Acquires The Echo Nest for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5ef18050-6ea1-40bc-86ef-3e667b1acc2a Date 3/6/2014 Company Name The Echo Nest Mailing Address 48 Grove Street Somerville, MA 02144 Company Description The Echo Nest’s Fanalytics platform applies an unprecedented understanding of the music web to help you better target and build your online fan base. Website http://www.echonest.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round … Continue reading “Spotify Acquires The Echo Nest for Undisclosed Sum”

Farewell, Xconomy Readers. I’m Going to Climb a New Mountain

This is my last week on the job at Xconomy. After almost six years, I’m moving on. I’m going to finish writing a biography of Leroy Hood, the pioneer of high-speed DNA sequencing and genomic-based personalized medicine. And then I’ll see what’s next. When I first joined Xconomy, it had been founded 10 months earlier … Continue reading “Farewell, Xconomy Readers. I’m Going to Climb a New Mountain”

Biogen, Eisai Join Up in Alzheimer’s Drug Pact

Biogen Idec may be best known for its multiple sclerosis drugs, but the biotech giant is also giving itself a few more chances to succeed in the high-risk field of Alzheimer’s disease therapies. Cambridge, MA-based Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) today cut a wide-ranging deal with Japan’s Eisai. On one hand, Biogen grabbed the rights to co-develop … Continue reading “Biogen, Eisai Join Up in Alzheimer’s Drug Pact”

CloudBees Buzzes With $11M in New Cash as Verizon Cloud Rises

If you put your ear to the cloud, you just might hear a faint buzzing sound—the sound of a startup working with a telecom giant to disrupt an industry. CloudBees, a software startup based in Woburn, MA, said today it has raised $11.2 million in Series C funding led by Verizon Ventures, the VC arm … Continue reading “CloudBees Buzzes With $11M in New Cash as Verizon Cloud Rises”

4 Ways to Stop Social Media from Blowing Up In Your Startup’s Face

Social media offers startups a powerful platform to cost-effectively market their products and services, get their brand recognized, and engage with a wide audience of customers. Yet social media also throws up multiple risks. Many of these risks—be they security and privacy risks, compliance risks, or reputational risks—are not new. However, companies have become more … Continue reading “4 Ways to Stop Social Media from Blowing Up In Your Startup’s Face”

CloudBees Obtains $11,200,000 Series C Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e2b40ab6-b29f-4dea-9b70-b017943f4532 Date 3/5/2014 Company Name CloudBees Mailing Address 400 TradeCenter Woburn, MA 01801 Company Description CloudBees aims to provide the leading Java Platform as a Service (PaaS) covering both development services and a production runtime for Java. Website http://www.cloudbees.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $11,200,000 Transaction Round Series C Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “CloudBees Obtains $11,200,000 Series C Funding”

Forerun Garners $500,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=637328a9-ad53-40eb-b02a-ecd4b665c888 Date 3/5/2014 Company Name Forerun Mailing Address 200 West Street 4th Floor Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Forerun Inc. is a privately-held, technology company specializing in Emergency Department Information Systems (EDIS). Forerun’s mission is to help the Emergency Department create such high quality of patient care that together we set new … Continue reading “Forerun Garners $500,000 New Round”

MIT Sloan CIO Symposium

Information and registration here. The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium is a community of CEOs, CIOs and senior IT executives who connect with academic thought leaders, their practicing peers and IT partners in an annual one-day conference, held on the MIT campus, as well as through online conversations and educational webcasts. These CIOs and other senior … Continue reading “MIT Sloan CIO Symposium”

Twitter, PayPal, & Fiksu at Mobile Madness 3/19: Here’s the Agenda

We are coming down the home stretch in preparation for Mobile Madness 2014: The Next Disruptors. It’s all happening in two weeks—Wednesday, March 19—at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge, MA. We are getting pumped. The full agenda is here. There have been some changes to the speaker lineup. In addition to keynote chats with Jason Jacobs, … Continue reading “Twitter, PayPal, & Fiksu at Mobile Madness 3/19: Here’s the Agenda”

Supreme Court Should Scale Back Securities Class Actions

Class-action lawsuits against publicly traded companies, which ironically are meant to protect investors like me, have officially jumped the shark.  That was the only conclusion I could come to after learning last week that one firm alone, Levi & Korsinsky, is suing not one, but three companies I invest in—Aegerion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AEGR]]), Sarepta Therapeutics … Continue reading “Supreme Court Should Scale Back Securities Class Actions”

Why It’s Time to Retire the Term “Life Sciences”

I originally thought about titling this piece “Life Sciences, Biosciences, BioPharma, Biotech, and Healthcare: What’s the Difference?” but that was simply too unwieldy. Many people use these terms interchangeably without thinking about what they specifically refer to, and which types of jobs and activities they encompass. Are they all the same thing? I don’t think … Continue reading “Why It’s Time to Retire the Term “Life Sciences””

RxAdvance Secures Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3179f5a6-edef-4119-99e9-278583e100b9 Date 3/4/2014 Company Name RxAdvance Mailing Address 2 Park Central Drive Southborough, MA 01772 Company Description The Pharmacy Benefit Management industry is known for “business as usual” and has been challenged to bring real value to plan sponsors in addition to traditional transaction management such as benefit design, formulary and MAC … Continue reading “RxAdvance Secures Series A Financing Round”

Persimmon Technologies Secures $1,467,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2affb501-7aac-4397-8d10-80a19fd09833 Date 3/4/2014 Company Name Persimmon Technologies Mailing Address 200 Harvard Mill Square Wakefield, MA 01880 Company Description Persimmon’s vision is to build the largest vacuum robotics company serving the Semiconductor, LED and Solar markets by 2020 in addition to growing Nidec Sankyo’s atmospheric robot business to the top market position by … Continue reading “Persimmon Technologies Secures $1,467,000 New Funding”

Boston Roundup: HubSpot, Veveo, Clarity, CounterTack, Smarterer

Some news tidbits to catch up on from the last week around New England technology: —Online marketing software maker HubSpot is inching closer to an IPO. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Cambridge, MA-based company is working with Morgan Stanley on the deal, but the timing remains unclear. HubSpot has been vocal about its … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: HubSpot, Veveo, Clarity, CounterTack, Smarterer”

RainDance, Angling For an IPO, Adds $16.5M From GE Ventures, Others

RainDance Technologies has been steadily raising cash from private investors for a few years now. But with the addition of GE Ventures to its group of backers, the Billerica, MA-based company is signaling that its next raise just might come from Wall Street. “We’re not able to confirm or deny that,” says RainDance CEO Roopom … Continue reading “RainDance, Angling For an IPO, Adds $16.5M From GE Ventures, Others”

Bob Doyle and the Magic of Merlin, the First Mobile Game

If you sat down to make a list of the key turning points in the history of mobile computing, you’d definitely have to include 2007, the year Apple released the iPhone. Its glowing touchscreen became a personalized portal to our friends, to the Web, and to hundreds of thousands of games and other specialized apps. … Continue reading “Bob Doyle and the Magic of Merlin, the First Mobile Game”