Category: Boston

Scuderi Group Secures $634,121 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=905fd87d-62d4-45f2-9527-19be41e68949&Preview=1 Date 5/28/2013 Company Name Scuderi Group Mailing Address 1111 Elm Street West Springfield, MA 01089 Company Description The Scuderi Group is an engine development company of fluid and thermodynamic experts focused on improving the performance of the internal combustion engine. The revolutionary Scuderi Split-Cycle Engine technology is the most significant improvement … Continue reading “Scuderi Group Secures $634,121 New Round”

Revision Military Obtains $12,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=946c521e-c586-4a12-aa8b-b09bd5350b34&Preview=1 Date 5/25/2013 Company Name Revision Military Mailing Address 7 Corporate Drive Essex Junction, VT 05452 Company Description Our cutting edge facilities are dedicated to the manufacture, quality assurance, and research and development of the finest soldier protective solutions in the world. Website http://www.revisionmilitary.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $12,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Revision Military Obtains $12,000,000 New Funding Round”

Astellas Tells Aveo to Go It Alone in Kidney Cancer

If Aveo Oncology has any plans to sell tivozanib as a kidney cancer drug, it’s going to have to do it without Astellas Pharma. The fallout from the disastrous May 2 FDA advisory panel continues as Cambridge, MA-based Aveo (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVEO]]) revealed in a short filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Astellas has … Continue reading “Astellas Tells Aveo to Go It Alone in Kidney Cancer”

Do You Have A Story to Tell? Here Are the Digital Tools You’ll Need

Back in January I got an invitation out of the blue to give a 1-hour talk at the Palo Alto Research Center—the Xerox-owned lab better known as PARC. The invitation was completely open-ended. The full extent of PARC’s guidance was “we think you would have a lot of interesting things to share.” If you’re a … Continue reading “Do You Have A Story to Tell? Here Are the Digital Tools You’ll Need”

East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Regeneron, Actavis, NPS, & More

Broad startup initiatives, big acquisitions, critical data readouts, and more characterized the news flowing out of the biotech sector along the East Coast this week. Details below: —Residents of Long Island, NY, were dismayed when Astellas Pharma shut down their local biotech flagship, OSI Pharmaceuticals. But Accelerate LI is trying to turn things around. The … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Regeneron, Actavis, NPS, & More”

Merrimack Aims For Penny-Wise Pipeline of Cancer Drugs

It’s not often that you’ll find a company with six cancer drugs in clinical trials that have their own companion diagnostics, and an in-house drug discovery engine. So why all the skepticism surrounding Merrimack Pharmaceuticals? After going public in March 2012 at $7 a share, Cambridge, MA-based Merrimack (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MACK]]) still has a lot to … Continue reading “Merrimack Aims For Penny-Wise Pipeline of Cancer Drugs”

Twitter Shows Off Bluefin Labs Buy with New TV Ad Targeting

When Twitter landed in Boston earlier this year it didn’t mess around, spending around $200 million for two startups. And we’re starting to see more of the payoff for that expensive shopping trip. Today, as part of its efforts to get a piece of the TV advertising action, Twitter pitched a new program that lets … Continue reading “Twitter Shows Off Bluefin Labs Buy with New TV Ad Targeting”

TechStars Boston Demo Day: Four Startups Taking Innovation Offline

TechStars Boston has officially unleashed its latest group of early stage companies, 14 startups with well-practiced pitches and big hopes. And this time around, several companies stood out for their focus on tackling real-world problems with software and online tools. That shouldn’t be a big surprise for a couple of reasons. First of all, we … Continue reading “TechStars Boston Demo Day: Four Startups Taking Innovation Offline”

Digital Lumens, Finding Its Identity, Brings Cost & Energy Savings to Light

Among local startups, Digital Lumens is a different kind of animal. It’s a hardware company. It’s a networking software company. It’s an energy-efficiency company. It’s an LED and “smart lighting” company. So what is it? Well, all of the above. Interestingly, Brian Chemel, a co-founder of the Boston startup, penned an op-ed earlier this year … Continue reading “Digital Lumens, Finding Its Identity, Brings Cost & Energy Savings to Light”

Mayer’s Challenge: Merging the Cultures of Yahoo and Tumblr

Yahoo + Tumblr is a good match because Tumblr has the huge and vibrant social network, but no revenues, while Yahoo lacks social, but knows how to earn money on ads. Yahoo + Tumblr are a bad match, because Yahoo is a company with 14,000 employees in a corporate organizational culture needing change, while Tumblr … Continue reading “Mayer’s Challenge: Merging the Cultures of Yahoo and Tumblr”

CommonAngels Pledges 20 Startup Tix for XSITE June 19: Get Yours Here

With just under a month to go before our fifth annual XSITE conference at Babson College (agenda here), we’re pleased to announce that CommonAngels has pledged to buy 20 tickets for startups looking to attend—see below for details. (CommonAngels is an investor in Xconomy.) This year’s event features top speakers including Akamai CEO Tom Leighton, … Continue reading “CommonAngels Pledges 20 Startup Tix for XSITE June 19: Get Yours Here”

Ironwood, NPS Pharma Tap Wall Street To Roll Out Lead Drugs

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals and NPS Pharmaceuticals have plenty in common: both won FDA approval of their first drugs in 2012, and both are trying to prove to investors that they can successfully sell them. And now, both have sought out Wall Street to help them get it done. Cambridge, MA-based Ironwood and Bedminster, NJ-based NPS both … Continue reading “Ironwood, NPS Pharma Tap Wall Street To Roll Out Lead Drugs”

Boston Roundup: Adelphic, SoundBite, MIT $100K, Acquia, & More

[Updated 12:55 pm] A CEO swap, some corporate M&A, student entrepreneurship, increased sales numbers, fundraising, and general deal-making in this quick trip through some Boston-area innovation headlines: —Mobile advertising startup Adelphic is getting a new leader. The company says Michael Collins, formerly of mobile marketing agency Joule, has replaced co-founder Changfeng Wang as CEO. Wang … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: Adelphic, SoundBite, MIT $100K, Acquia, & More”

Interactions Secures $40,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=72da6075-47e0-4103-b4f3-24fc0583ab7c&Preview=1 Date 5/22/2013 Company Name Interactions Mailing Address 31 Hayward Street Franklin, MA 02038 Company Description Interactions, Inc. is a service provider delivering a unique solution to the call center market that decreases support costs while dramatically improving the customer experience. World Class Personal Service at Breakthrough Economics. Website http://web.interactions.net Transaction Type … Continue reading “Interactions Secures $40,000,000 New Funding Round”

Boston and Other “Digital Cities” Visit Internet Week New York

A bit of friendly rivalry is healthy for cities with growing technology ecosystems, but sometimes they set aside the hype and find ways to collaborate. At the onset of this week’s Internet Week New York citywide festivities, representatives from 11 cities from the U.S. and beyond spoke about how their administrations are leverage technology to … Continue reading “Boston and Other “Digital Cities” Visit Internet Week New York”

The Star Thrower, or How Healthcare Looks to Consumers

It is always interesting how events find ways of connecting themselves together even when they seem so unrelated. I was at my sister Alexis’ graduation from law school on Friday, where I had gone directly from leaving a several day event organized by Health Evolution Partners. At the event I had occasion to meet with … Continue reading “The Star Thrower, or How Healthcare Looks to Consumers”

Swipely Swipes $12M More to Advance “Operating System for Local Commerce”

Don’t look now, but Swipely is becoming a big player. The Providence, RI-based startup led by Angus Davis (of Tellme Networks fame) has just raised $12 million in Series B funding led by Shasta Ventures. Previous investors First Round Capital, Greylock Partners, and Index Ventures also participated in the round, which is one of the … Continue reading “Swipely Swipes $12M More to Advance “Operating System for Local Commerce””

Juan Enriquez on the Forces Shaping Innovation: A Napa Summit Preview

What are the most powerful forces affecting innovation and the economy? That is one of the key questions facing the nation as we inch our way out of the economic mire. Juan Enriquez may not have all the answers, but he has some deep insights into the path forward, and a way of framing the … Continue reading “Juan Enriquez on the Forces Shaping Innovation: A Napa Summit Preview”

Venture Debt as Growth Capital? You Bet.

It’s easy to understand why most discussions about the state of venture capital investing paint a pessimistic view. Access to institutional equity dollars is increasingly limited for new entrepreneurs and early stage companies, and an anemic fundraising environment for VC firms is contributing to the long-anticipated “VC shakeout.” We’re also at a cyclical low in … Continue reading “Venture Debt as Growth Capital? You Bet.”

Swipely Lands $12,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c11ad334-4dc6-4b1d-9a7a-258568d3d65b&Preview=1 Date 5/21/2013 Company Name Swipely Mailing Address 39 Pike Street Providence, RI 02903 Company Description Swipely’s mission is to help local merchants succeed by democratizing tools and powerful data that were once reserved only for big businesses. Our goal is to package these tools in a remarkably simple and intuitive way, … Continue reading “Swipely Lands $12,000,000 Series B Financing”

Alcyone Lifesciences Secures $1,000,004 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=23ac80ed-07f7-4970-a4df-5832073b35bb&Preview=1 Date 5/21/2013 Company Name Alcyone Lifesciences Mailing Address 75 Sandy Pond Road Ayer, MA 01432 Company Description Alcyone Lifesciences is focused on developing products for treatment of difficult neuropathological conditions. Website http://www.alcyonels.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,000,004 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory … Continue reading “Alcyone Lifesciences Secures $1,000,004 New Round”

Karyopharm Grabs $48.2M Series B to Advance Cancer Drugs

Karyopharm Therapeutics believes it can build a platform of cancer drugs off of the idea of keeping the body’s tumor-suppressing proteins in the nucleus of cells, where they can do their jobs properly. With the help of a new $48.2 million round of funding, now it has enough cash to test that thesis in two … Continue reading “Karyopharm Grabs $48.2M Series B to Advance Cancer Drugs”

Yahoo Locks in $1.1B Deal for Tumblr, Promises Not to Screw Up

David Karp’s wallet just got a lot fatter. After a flurry of speculation over the weekend, Tumblr in New York is being acquired by Sunnyvale, CA-based Yahoo, in a deal announced early Monday at the previously reported price of $1.1 billion, mostly in cash. Yahoo put out a statement on the acquisition with a pledge to … Continue reading “Yahoo Locks in $1.1B Deal for Tumblr, Promises Not to Screw Up”

Andy Miller on Leap Motion as the New Apple, & Sacramento Kings Deal

I’m on the phone with Andy Miller, and I don’t know where to begin. Ask him about working with Steve Jobs at Apple? About how Leap Motion may or may not be the next Apple? Or what about how that $348 million deal to buy the Sacramento Kings went down? Miller is driving in his … Continue reading “Andy Miller on Leap Motion as the New Apple, & Sacramento Kings Deal”

The Top Five Traits to Look For in Prospective Startup Employees

Most successful entrepreneurs will tell you that the fastest way to kill a startup is to hire the wrong people. It’s true. As someone who has helped build multiple startups, I cannot overstate the importance of assembling a stellar core team. They are the ones who will transform your ideas into reality, and help you … Continue reading “The Top Five Traits to Look For in Prospective Startup Employees”

Zillions of Biotech Conferences Want You. Which Should You Attend?

Biotech industry conferences are happening, somewhere on this green Earth, every day. If you’ve been around a while, and you’ve attended a few, chances are you get invitations, or marketing pitches, that ask you to attend a different meeting every day. If you’re new to the business, you may not be on all the lists. … Continue reading “Zillions of Biotech Conferences Want You. Which Should You Attend?”

Karyopharm Therapeutics Secures $48,200,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=69fcbbd5-bf9b-41da-bfea-67467530b0e3&Preview=1 Date 5/20/2013 Company Name Karyopharm Therapeutics Mailing Address 2 Mercer Road Natick, MA 01760 Company Description Karyopharm Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development of novel drugs for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and diseases related to cell proliferation. Website http://www.karyopharm.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $48,200,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Karyopharm Therapeutics Secures $48,200,000 Series B Round”

Acton Pharmaceuticals Lands $7,000,005 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3bfe4020-ebb8-4fbe-a91d-aa4974f1c72f&Preview=1 Date 5/20/2013 Company Name Acton Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 225 Cedar Hill Street Marlborough, MA 01752 Company Description Acton is primarily focused on development and commercialization of innovative pharmaceutical products that treat allergic, pulmonary, and other respiratory related diseases. Website http://www.actonpharmaceuticals.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,005 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Acton Pharmaceuticals Lands $7,000,005 New Funding Round”

Aspen Aerogels Garners $22,500,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3578339e-b53f-4228-a532-0a3b25de79f0&Preview=1 Date 5/19/2013 Company Name Aspen Aerogels Mailing Address 30 Forbes Road Building B Northborough, MA 01532 Company Description Aspen Aerogels is nanotechnology at work in oil pipelines, natural gas and military ships, building and construction, boots and jackets and much, much more. Website http://www.aerogel.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $22,500,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Aspen Aerogels Garners $22,500,000 New Funding Round”

Boston Roundup: Skyword, SimpleTuition, Jelly, Pebble, MIT

A smattering of fundraising announcements involving Boston-area companies and investors, along with a student entrepreneurship program in this collection of local news tidbits: —Skyword, a Boston-based marketing company that links freelance copywriters with advertisers and other clients, has raised $6.7 million. The investment was led by Cox Media Group, which Skyword says will help hire … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: Skyword, SimpleTuition, Jelly, Pebble, MIT”

Nine Lessons for Innovators from a Nobel Prize-Winning Psychologist

I was pretty slow about getting around to reading Thinking, Fast and Slow. The career-capping book by Princeton psychologist Daniel Kahneman, one of the founders of behavioral economics, spent months on all the bestseller lists back in 2011. I finally picked up a paperback copy a couple of weeks ago. The book is mainly about … Continue reading “Nine Lessons for Innovators from a Nobel Prize-Winning Psychologist”

East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Termeer, Atlas, OSI Pharma & More

All eyes in the biotech world will soon turn to the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago, but for now, the industry keeps humming along. This week’s news was highlighted by partnerships, product launches and big name hirings—and lowlighted by the closure of the long time anchor of Long Island’s biotech scene. … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Termeer, Atlas, OSI Pharma & More”

Skyword Obtains $6,700,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9c871b93-7614-49d3-9327-7e55f36c4a41&Preview=1 Date 5/17/2013 Company Name Skyword Mailing Address 234 Congress St. 4th floor Boston, MA 02110 Company Description Skyword is the leader in Search-Driven Media (SDM). Skyword enables brands to acquire and engage customers through efficient forecasting, creation and placement of brand-aligned content that precisely matches consumer search. Clients include Proctor & … Continue reading “Skyword Obtains $6,700,000 New Funding Round”

Cambridge Innovation Center Strikes Deal for St. Louis Expansion

The Boston area’s best-known startup hub is taking another big step in its national expansion plans. The Cambridge Innovation Center, an all-in-one office space and services provider that houses some 500 companies near the MIT campus, is opening a branch in St. Louis. CIC officials announced the expansion Thursday along with Wexford Science & Technology, … Continue reading “Cambridge Innovation Center Strikes Deal for St. Louis Expansion”

Third Rock’s Ninepoint Medical Grows Up, Plans $35M Series B

Ninepoint Medical earned the distinction of becoming the first—and to date, the only—medical device maker seeded by startup creation specialist Third Rock Ventures when it set up shop in 2009. Some four years and $33 million later, Ninepoint’s vision, a product that can make cancer diagnosis more efficient, is becoming a reality. “It’s a pretty … Continue reading “Third Rock’s Ninepoint Medical Grows Up, Plans $35M Series B”

The Daily Grommet Leads Wave of “Anti-Amazon” E-Commerce in Boston

First of all, the company is no longer called the Daily Grommet. Now it’s just The Grommet. “We still execute daily,” says CEO Jules Pieri, “but we dropped the word because it seemed to be superfluous.” She adds, “We love what ‘grommet’ represents, a humble piece of hardware that makes things better.” The company’s mission? … Continue reading “The Daily Grommet Leads Wave of “Anti-Amazon” E-Commerce in Boston”

Atlas Leans on Amgen, Novartis to Build New Startups

[Corrected on 5/16/13, 9:11 a.m., see below] Fresh off raising $265 million to bankroll its ninth fund, Atlas Venture has forged strategic partnerships with Amgen and Novartis to help supply the bigger companies with innovative new drug candidates. The deals represent the latest in a string of alliances that is bringing venture firms and Big … Continue reading “Atlas Leans on Amgen, Novartis to Build New Startups”

Acacia Communications Garners $20,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a96480ff-64e4-47e3-bece-9a0ead3b0683&Preview=1 Date 5/16/2013 Company Name Acacia Communications Mailing Address Three Clock Tower Place Maynard, MA 01754 Company Description Acacia Communications Inc. was founded by prominent industry experts Mehrdad Givehchi, Benny Mikkelsen and Christian Rasmussen. Acacia provides advanced solutions to the optical transport and network infrastructure equipment market for coherent 100G, 200G, 400G … Continue reading “Acacia Communications Garners $20,000,000 New Funding”

Qualtre Secures $3,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d052591a-bd62-45ea-b2fb-cc452f41dcd6&Preview=1 Date 5/16/2013 Company Name Qualtre Mailing Address 225 Cedar Hill Street Marlborough, MA 01752 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, Qualtre … Continue reading “Qualtre Secures $3,000,000 New Round”

Thermedical Lands $5,500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1190a081-4624-4ec2-9207-e9a8e2ccc306&Preview=1 Date 5/16/2013 Company Name Thermedical Mailing Address 150 Bear Hill Road Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description THERMEDICAL is developing preclinical prototypes for Saline-Enhanced Radio Frequency (SERF) ablation systems. Website http://www.thermedical.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Certain proceeds will be used by the Company for … Continue reading “Thermedical Lands $5,500,000 New Funding”

Why the Kendall Square Lab and Office Markets Are Out of Whack

In the beginning of Kendall Square’s biotech scene, everyone knew that partially built-out lab space was rare and precious, and its availability usually spread through word of mouth. For Cambridge commercial real estate brokers, that phenomenon added to the mystery of trying to keep track of the growing biotech scene: there were very few choices … Continue reading “Why the Kendall Square Lab and Office Markets Are Out of Whack”

Dyn, FitnessKeeper, HeyWire CEOs Join XSITE June 19: Here’s the Agenda

Just a little over a month to go before our fifth annual flagship conference, XSITE 2013 (Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, & Entrepreneurship) at Babson College. The date is June 19, the theme is “Boston’s Tech Revival,” and the agenda is here. You can still register for the event (be sure to note our student … Continue reading “Dyn, FitnessKeeper, HeyWire CEOs Join XSITE June 19: Here’s the Agenda”

Boston Roundup: Matrix, Grommet & Rakuten, Ambient, Summer@Highland

Updated 10 a.m. with new item Some news on VC fundraising, startup investment, corporate layoffs, and student entrepreneurship in this midweek rundown of items to catch up on: —Matrix Partners, based in Waltham, MA, has confirmed that it’s raised $450 million for its 10th venture fund. The news first surfaced in mid-April, courtesy of Fortune’s Dan Primack. … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: Matrix, Grommet & Rakuten, Ambient, Summer@Highland”

WegoWise Garners $3,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4a1d6be5-930a-4d54-868f-089d072c072f&Preview=1 Date 5/15/2013 Company Name WegoWise Mailing Address 201 South Street Boston, MA 02111 Company Description Our mission at WegoWise is to improve the efficiency of the built environment. Website http://www.wegowise.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor … Continue reading “WegoWise Garners $3,000,000 New Funding”

The Grommet Obtains New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=75ac2f89-7ed7-4cff-a56d-5f4f1359cdc7&Preview=1 Date 5/15/2013 Company Name The Grommet Mailing Address 6 Wallis Court Lexington, MA 02421 Company Description At the heart of it, we’re a bunch of regular folks with a passion for finding Grommets; wonderful products–with interesting stories–that people would love to know about. Website http://www.thegrommet.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “The Grommet Obtains New Funding Round”

SimpleTuition Garners $4,052,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=13c6f4a8-9997-47ad-bd19-a80859d06f41&Preview=1 Date 5/15/2013 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 $4,052,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms … Continue reading “SimpleTuition Garners $4,052,000 New Funding”

Cloudant Garners $12,000,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=10c9b63f-b61c-49be-976d-abae86025521&Preview=1 Date 5/15/2013 Company Name Cloudant Mailing Address 129 South St. Boston, MA 02111 Company Description Cloudant offers an integrated database, analytics, and search, providing businesses with an easy to use, highly-scalable data platform based on Apache CouchDB. Website http://www.cloudant.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $12,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds … Continue reading “Cloudant Garners $12,000,000 Series B Funding”