Category: Boston

Allurion Technologies Receives $1,250,547 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3f960f97-e317-4b16-859e-7b1278391bc1&Preview=1 Date 4/23/2013 Company Name Allurion Technologies Mailing Address 888 Worcester Street Wellesley, MA 02482 Company Description Allurion manufactures a medical device for obesity that can be delivered and removed without surgery or endoscopy. The company was founded in 2009 and formerly known as SGL Medical Inc. Website http://www.alluriontechnologies.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Allurion Technologies Receives $1,250,547 New Funding”

GlaxoSmithKline and Avalon Ventures Agree to Startup Collaboration

Avalon Ventures founder Kevin Kinsella has been saying for some time that pharmaceutical companies should be striking deals with VC firms that know how to organize biotech startups—and it now appears a Big Pharma was listening. The Wall Street Journal reports this afternoon on its (subscription-based) website that GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]) has agreed to provide … Continue reading “GlaxoSmithKline and Avalon Ventures Agree to Startup Collaboration”

TEDx Boston

Information and registration here. From the TEDx Boston site: “What happens when a group of people rally around a radical idea and set in motion unlimited possibilities for a brighter future? A Revolution. “More than two centuries ago, ordinary citizens in Boston dreamed of a democracy and launched a revolution that changed the course of … Continue reading “TEDx Boston”

Bind Therapeutics, AstraZeneca Collaborate on Cancer Drug

A little less than four months into 2013, and Bind Therapeutics has already struck its third partnership. Cambridge, MA-based Bind Therapeutics said today it has formed a collaboration with London-based AstraZeneca to co-develop and co-market a cancer drug candidate that uses Bind’s proprietary nanoparticle delivery technology. Bind stands to collect as much as $69 million … Continue reading “Bind Therapeutics, AstraZeneca Collaborate on Cancer Drug”

GrabCAD Leads Surge in Boston-Area Hardware Design Startups

Is hardware the next big thing? That’s certainly the impression you get in local tech circles. The question is, what are companies actually doing to advance the sector? Historically, device firms have needed lots of time and money to get off the ground. Especially as compared to software startups, which, in the past five to … Continue reading “GrabCAD Leads Surge in Boston-Area Hardware Design Startups”

From Assets to Zen: Building Successful Drug Hunting Relationships

[Editor’s Note: This post was co-authored by Jessica Yingling, founder of Little Dog Communications.] A wise person once said, “Select your partner wisely. Because that person will be either 90 percent of your happiness or 90 percent of your misery.” While she presumably was referring to partners in love, this could also easily apply to … Continue reading “From Assets to Zen: Building Successful Drug Hunting Relationships”

Boston-Area Deals: Life Image, MC10, Gizmox, Nanigans, Verivo

Updated 3:45 p.m. Several private companies around Massachusetts are making fundraising news: —Newton-based Life Image has raised $15 million in fresh capital. The company says the Series C round includes previous investors Galen Partners, Cardinal Partners, and Long River Ventures. Life Image provides a network for securely sharing medical images like X-ray and MRI scans. (The … Continue reading “Boston-Area Deals: Life Image, MC10, Gizmox, Nanigans, Verivo”

SolidWorks Founder Joins MIT Blackjack Reunion Panel at XSITE June 19

As the Boston area tries to get back to some semblance of normalcy, there’s an event I’d like to put on your radar. The theme is “Boston’s Tech Revival,” which seems appropriate today. The time and place is June 19 at Babson College. The occasion is Xconomy’s fifth annual XSITE conference, in which we bring … Continue reading “SolidWorks Founder Joins MIT Blackjack Reunion Panel at XSITE June 19”

A Biotech Innovation Supply Chain: Reality or Fantasy?

Biotech has always been a bit like an open-air market bazaar. Now the industry needs to become a little more stable, more predictable. It ought to be part of something you could call an “innovation supply chain.” At least, that’s the view of Noubar Afeyan, the managing partner of Cambridge, MA-based Flagship Ventures. Biotech is … Continue reading “A Biotech Innovation Supply Chain: Reality or Fantasy?”

East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Thermo, Alkermes, Acorda, Epizyme

One big story—the Boston Marathon bombing—dominated the news this week. Boston’s healthcare system rose to the challenge of treating so many injured victims, as reported in this terrific post by Atul Gawande of the New Yorker. While the investigation into the tragedy continues, many East Coast biotech companies carried on with their business and accomplished … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Thermo, Alkermes, Acorda, Epizyme”

When iMovie Isn’t Enough, Amateur Video Producers Can Go Pro

When you hear people in the tech world talking about “consumerization,” they’re usually referring to complex business software that’s been overhauled to look and feel more like personal technology. But consumerization is washing over other parts of the software market too. One of them is professional media creation and editing. Photoshop is a great example. … Continue reading “When iMovie Isn’t Enough, Amateur Video Producers Can Go Pro”

Venture Funding Slows as VC Industry Contracts, & Top 10 Deals List

Overall venture capital activity slowed in the U.S. during the first three months of 2013, with venture capitalists investing $5.9 billion in 863 deals nationwide, according to the MoneyTree Report released today. Compared with the previous quarter, VC funding was off nearly 12 percent and the deal count was down almost 15 percent. Venture firms … Continue reading “Venture Funding Slows as VC Industry Contracts, & Top 10 Deals List”

Nanigans Secures $5,785,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7ad72a31-114b-445a-a6a5-2887a5457428&Preview=1 Date 4/19/2013 Company Name Nanigans Mailing Address 60 State St. Boston, MA 02109 Company Description Founded by veteran entrepreneurs with specialties in performance and social marketing, Nanigans was formed to help advertisers maximize the effectiveness of Facebook advertising. Nanigans is the only real-time bidding platform for the Facebook ads marketplace that … Continue reading “Nanigans Secures $5,785,000 New Financing Round”

Life Image Garners $15,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=afc33748-6c90-477e-a066-478fbf72699a&Preview=1 Date 4/19/2013 Company Name Life Image Mailing Address 300 Washington St. Newton, MA 02458 Company Description Life Image, Inc. is a venture-backed startup company developing Web-based applications and services that help eliminate the problems associated with lack of access to patients’ medical-imaging history.The founders of the company are veterans of this … Continue reading “Life Image Garners $15,000,000 New Financing”

MC10 Garners $8,150,002 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ea1e8388-0937-47cf-bb90-884500a8f5ce&Preview=1 Date 4/19/2013 Company Name MC10 Mailing Address 9 Camp Street 2nd Floor Cambridge, MA 02140 Company Description We’re MC10. It’s our mission to extend human capabilities by making high-performance electronics virtually invisible, conformal, and wearable. We reshape rigid, conventional electronics into thin, flexible devices that can stretch, bend and twist seamlessly … Continue reading “MC10 Garners $8,150,002 New Round”

Luminus Devices Receives $1,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f3a68797-b88f-4d5e-a454-e01dc3c994a5&Preview=1 Date 4/19/2013 Company Name Luminus Devices Mailing Address 1100 Technology Park Drive Billerica, MA 01821 Company Description Luminus Devices develops and manufactures innovative, high-power, solid state lighting solutions for high-definition televisions and other display products. Its patented PhlatLight (Photonic Lattice) technology and manufacturing processes deliver a new level of performance to … Continue reading “Luminus Devices Receives $1,000,000 New Financing Round”

Verivo Software Lands $4,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2bc06ccb-df2d-42f4-be49-e2d1c3e51b55&Preview=1 Date 4/19/2013 Company Name Verivo Software Mailing Address 1000 Winter St. 2nd Floor Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Today, our unique enterprise mobility platform is used by hundreds of companies in numerous industries – from life sciences and manufacturing to automotive and transportation. Website http://www.verivo.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Verivo Software Lands $4,000,000 New Funding Round”

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Booms on Cystic Fibrosis Combo Drug Study

[Updated: 12:55 pm ET 4/19] Vertex Pharmaceuticals isn’t willing to settle for coming up with one great drug for 4 percent of patients with cystic fibrosis. The Cambridge, MA-based company wants to treat a whole lot more children and adults with this deadly genetic disease, and today it offered some more evidence that it’s on … Continue reading “Vertex Pharmaceuticals Booms on Cystic Fibrosis Combo Drug Study”

Boston Briefs: Wayfair, Proletariat, Iora Health, Pixability

[Updated 5:10 pm to correct dollar figure to orders in first item.] Private companies big and small are making fundraising headlines this week: —Online home furnishings retailer Wayfair reported that its first-quarter sales grew by 40 percent since last year. The company also tells the Boston Globe that orders for its goods reached nearly $200 million during … Continue reading “Boston Briefs: Wayfair, Proletariat, Iora Health, Pixability”

Cue Ball Capital Adds $30M to “Evergreen,” Unconventional VC Fund

Cue Ball Capital, an unconventional Boston venture fund that counts some well-known business and media names among its investors, has added another $30 million to its ongoing investment fund. The new fundraising follows a significant deal for Cue Ball’s portfolio: scientific publisher Reed Elsevier’s acquisition of Knovel, a provider of online engineering software. The Knovel … Continue reading “Cue Ball Capital Adds $30M to “Evergreen,” Unconventional VC Fund”

SkyPhrase Lands New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=596415bf-140d-4ed1-a52c-937ee887d54b&Preview=1 Date 4/18/2013 Company Name SkyPhrase Mailing Address Undisclosed Boston, MA 02101 Company Description SkyPhrase has made breakthroughs in algorithms that enable computers to understand more complex language with greater precision than has ever been possible. Our technology also makes it extremely easy for developers with no experience in linguistics or artificial … Continue reading “SkyPhrase Lands New Funding Round”

PowerSecure International Acquires Solais Lighting for $15,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2a5870af-cd45-4f4a-90e3-1d8f67171376&Preview=1 Date 4/18/2013 Company Name Solais Lighting Mailing Address 470 West Ave. Stamford, CT 06902-6359 Company Description Solais Lighting is a market-driven manufacturing company that has designed and built the world’s premier LED lamps with the light-output, focused-beam and full-dimming features required to replace high-efficiency halogen reflector lamps. Website http://www.solaislighting.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “PowerSecure International Acquires Solais Lighting for $15,000,000”

Psilos Spells Out Hot Areas for Health Technology Investing

The water’s fine in the healthcare-and-technology market, and institutional investors should come on in. That’s the message from Psilos Group, a healthcare-focused venture firm based in New York City and Corte Madera, CA, in an outlook report on healthcare economics released today. It’s the fifth annual edition of the report, and it points to four … Continue reading “Psilos Spells Out Hot Areas for Health Technology Investing”

Alkermes Stock Climbs on Positive Trial for Depression Drug

Investors weren’t expecting Alkermes to do anything big this year to help people deal with major bouts with depression. But today the Dublin, Ireland and Waltham, MA-based company showed it just may be onto something important for this form of mental illness. Shares of the company climbed more than 15 percent on Alkermes’ latest clinical … Continue reading “Alkermes Stock Climbs on Positive Trial for Depression Drug”

Highland Capital Partners Seeking $400M New Fund

Boston-area venture capitalists have been busy raising money in recent months, and here’s one more to add to the list. Highland Capital Partners, based in Cambridge, MA, has filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission that outlines its plan to raise a $400 million ninth fund. The SEC filing says Highland is seeking that much, but … Continue reading “Highland Capital Partners Seeking $400M New Fund”

Amid Grief, Boston Tech Firms Spot Threats, Analyze Video, Aid Victims

I was having a drink with an entrepreneur friend last Friday, before the bombs. Something he said has been ringing in my head this week. Instead of going after the next Facebook or Instagram, he said, tech entrepreneurs should be trying to solve people problems. Real societal problems. Like improving elder care, helping families spend … Continue reading “Amid Grief, Boston Tech Firms Spot Threats, Analyze Video, Aid Victims”

Report: Matrix Partners Raises $450M Fund

Another Massachusetts venture capital firm is apparently rounding up a new batch of investment dollars. Fortune is reporting that Matrix Partners, headquartered in Waltham, MA, has raised $450 million for its 10th VC fund. As reporter Dan Primack notes, it’s smaller than the firm’s $600 million fund dating from 2009, and in line with the $450 … Continue reading “Report: Matrix Partners Raises $450M Fund”

Welcome to Xperience, The New Consumer Section of Xconomy

It’s been a busy spring here at Xconomy. Last month we added a seventh city to our national network—Xconomy Boulder/Denver. And today we’re excited to announce Xperience, a new section designed to guide consumers to the best technologies for their lifestyles. You might have stumbled across Xperience already. We “soft-launched” the section on March 28 … Continue reading “Welcome to Xperience, The New Consumer Section of Xconomy”

Sage Therapeutics Shifts Gears, Focuses on Rare Form of Epilepsy

Sometimes it takes a little time, and a little luck for a company to find its identity. Of course, when you’re a biotech like Cambridge, MA-based Sage Therapeutics, it doesn’t hurt to have the backing of a life sciences company creation specialist Third Rock Ventures to get there either. When Xconomy last checked in on … Continue reading “Sage Therapeutics Shifts Gears, Focuses on Rare Form of Epilepsy”

CoalTek Receives $1,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0c86566a-4dae-4c70-b3c2-7962f5587a9e&Preview=1 Date 4/17/2013 Company Name CoalTek Mailing Address 119 Drum Hill Rd Chelmsford, MA 01824 Company Description CoalTek’s goal is to provide a clean, cost-effective, alternative fuel that addresses today’s power demands and increasing environmental challenges. Our proprietary technology uses electromagnetic energy to reduce the moisture, ash, sulfur and mercury in coal … Continue reading “CoalTek Receives $1,000,000 New Funding Round”

XLerant Garners $325,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=18f28259-e941-4bb6-b033-7fbea37b2ef6&Preview=1 Date 4/17/2013 Company Name XLerant Mailing Address 400 Main Street Stamford, CT 06901 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 with … Continue reading “XLerant Garners $325,000 New Funding Round”

Proletariat Garners $2,250,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=72be82a8-0c93-4639-aa55-8b9ad2b18db5&Preview=1 Date 4/17/2013 Company Name Proletariat Mailing Address 222 3rd Street Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Proletariat Inc. is a Cambridge-based developer of games for the iPhone and iPad. Website http://www.proletariat.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,250,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A … Continue reading “Proletariat Garners $2,250,000 New Round”

Get Help, Give Help: Boston Tech Responds to Marathon Bombings

Nonprofits, companies, and service providers of all sizes across the technology scene are banding together in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, offering ways to show support, donate money, and get things done. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most notable efforts so far, but please e-mail me if you see other … Continue reading “Get Help, Give Help: Boston Tech Responds to Marathon Bombings”

MGH-Veridex Device Enters Challenging Arena in Cancer Testing

Mehmet Toner wants cancer doctors to be able to see what he can see. Most oncologists rely on imaging tools like CT scans, and perhaps only a single biopsy, to learn what they can about patients’ tumors and the biological traits of their cancer cells. Toner, a biomedical engineering specialist, says he can track the … Continue reading “MGH-Veridex Device Enters Challenging Arena in Cancer Testing”

Re-thinking Clinical Trials for the World of Crowdsourcing

Disruption isn’t a word normally associated with clinical drug development, but nevertheless it is coming. We can feel the rumblings of it. New technologies and technology-enabled techniques for productivity in mainstream business applications are slowly making their way into the clinic. There are signals that drug development is starting to catch up with the general … Continue reading “Re-thinking Clinical Trials for the World of Crowdsourcing”

Boston Tech Community Raising Money for Marathon Bombing Victims

I don’t have much to say right now, but if you want to help support the people of Boston, please check out this fundraising effort from a group of well-known entrepreneurs, tech companies, and venture capitalists. Will update if I hear more about this effort, or others in the business/innovation community. [Update: As of noon … Continue reading “Boston Tech Community Raising Money for Marathon Bombing Victims”

Iora Health Receives $14,026,034 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f1b3017d-a1ee-4614-a371-24460050e9b4&Preview=1 Date 4/16/2013 Company Name Iora Health Mailing Address 222 Third Street Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description The Iora model of care changes everything– payment, staffing, processes, IT systems, and culture. We have no status quo to defend, no arcane rules we must follow. Our only goal is to dramatically improve the … Continue reading “Iora Health Receives $14,026,034 New Funding”

Rewarding High-Risk Innovation: The Case for Carried Interest

As Washington grapples with the deficit, nothing generates more emotion than tax “loopholes.” A priority “loophole” target in the budget that President Obama sent to Congress last week is the treatment of managers’ carried interest in private equity funds as capital gains, which he characterizes as “unfair” and the key reason for the low tax … Continue reading “Rewarding High-Risk Innovation: The Case for Carried Interest”

Thermo Fisher Scientific Acquires Life Technologies in $13.6B Deal

Waltham, MA-based Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: [[ticker:TMO]]) said today it will pay $13.6 billion to acquire Carlsbad, CA-based Life Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LIFE]]) following an auction that began in January and initially drew interest from a consortium of private equity firms. The deal combines two giants of the laboratory equipment and supply business just as the … Continue reading “Thermo Fisher Scientific Acquires Life Technologies in $13.6B Deal”

Strategies for Navigating the Life Sciences Capital Crunch

The need for innovation in healthcare has arguably never been greater.  A range of factors, from aging world populations to rising standards of living in developing countries, are poised to drive long-run demand for innovative drugs, devices and medical technologies that can improve outcomes and reduce costs. Ironically, however, funding for healthcare innovation remains in … Continue reading “Strategies for Navigating the Life Sciences Capital Crunch”

Big Data Is BS in Healthcare. When Will It Become Real?

Tech entrepreneurs have been raving for a while now about big data changing the world, and it’s mostly bullshit. Venture capitalist Brad Feld made this point, more or less, when he was being purposely provocative at an Xconomy event last fall. As a biotech journalist, I wanted to cheer “Preach On, Brother Feld!” Doctors are … Continue reading “Big Data Is BS in Healthcare. When Will It Become Real?”

Pixability Secures $4,110,157 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bcfd028d-32fa-4bb4-956e-39f1cab38df7&Preview=1 Date 4/15/2013 Company Name Pixability Mailing Address One Broadway 14th Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description We offer the easiest, quickest, most economical way to create quality video to help you market your company or organization. Now anyone, from company president to cashier, can be part of the web video revolution. … Continue reading “Pixability Secures $4,110,157 Series B Funding Round”

Eduventures Obtains $1,937,037 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1266838d-d73b-433e-87c2-f05738648bde&Preview=1 Date 4/15/2013 Company Name Eduventures Mailing Address 101 Federal St. 12th Floor Boston, MA 02110 Company Description Eduventures, the leading information services company for the education market, provides research and analysis that enables organizations to develop strategy, increase sales, and improve operational performance. Website http://www.eduventures.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Eduventures Obtains $1,937,037 New Financing Round”

15 Appetizing Apps for People Who Love to Cook and Eat

Phones and food are a match cooked up in heaven. Sometimes it seems as if our mobile gadgets were specifically designed to mesh with our cooking and eating habits. After all, you don’t lug your desktop or laptop computer with you when you’re going out to a restaurant. When you want to find a great … Continue reading “15 Appetizing Apps for People Who Love to Cook and Eat”

Foursquare’s New Cash, New Focus: Why Local is So Damn Hard

Back in 2009, with the smartphone revolution just taking off, savvy app-makers started playing around with ways to use the iPhone’s GPS features, tracking where users are in real time. The sharpest among them, it turned out, wound up building little games that encouraged people to “check in” at places they visited in the real … Continue reading “Foursquare’s New Cash, New Focus: Why Local is So Damn Hard”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Bristol-Myers, Syros, On-Q-ity, Ziopharm

The Boston-area biotechnology cluster got a shot in the arm this week when a drug giant announced a major expansion. East Coast startups raised millions, or folded, or regrouped after significant setbacks. Venture firms still showed an appetite for health care in the first quarter, and East Coast VCs grabbed top spots in the rankings. … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Bristol-Myers, Syros, On-Q-ity, Ziopharm”