Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b49cdd2d-e914-45e7-8db5-6d81083bc421&Preview=1 Date 4/12/2013 Company Name Cydan Mailing Address 16 Conant Road Lincoln, MA 01773 Company Description Cydan is an orphan drug accelerator that identifies and de-risks compounds with therapeutic and commercial potential. Our rigorous process generates data to support a development path and new company formation. Website http://www.cydanco.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Cydan Receives $16,000,000 New Financing Round”
Category: Boston
Syros Garners $30,000,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fd3b4656-370a-4fc5-b0b5-ec01fe9b14bb&Preview=1 Date 4/12/2013 Company Name Syros Mailing Address 480 Arsenal Street Watertown, MA 02472 Company Description Syros Pharmaceuticals is a life sciences company that is focused on treating disease by mapping gene regulatory circuits and modulating the factors that regulate gene expression. Syros has pioneered world-leading gene control research and drug discovery … Continue reading “Syros Garners $30,000,000 Series A Financing”
Stop Managing Your Career and Start a Company
First, a full confession. I have not read Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In.” I do have her book on my Kobo e-reader. I will read it this weekend. My fellow tech CEO friends highly recommend it. I know I am going to love it too. But my unintentional avoidance of “Lean In” (my “leaning out”?) goes … Continue reading “Stop Managing Your Career and Start a Company”
Bay State Newbies from J&J, PayPal, and More Gather in Kendall Square
Who are all these new guys around town? Over the past year or so, Massachusetts has seen lots of outside companies set up offices in the Boston area. Not a new trend, but something to keep an eye on. Tonight a bunch of them will be in one place—Genzyme’s headquarters in Kendall Square, Cambridge—for a … Continue reading “Bay State Newbies from J&J, PayPal, and More Gather in Kendall Square”
Syros, a Whitehead and Dana-Farber Spinoff, Snags $30M For Cancer
Not many biotech startups are able to scrape together a $30 million venture round right out of the gate. But it’s happening today to a little company in Watertown, MA, with some edgy science from researchers at the Whitehead Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The startup, Syros Pharmaceuticals, is announcing today it has raised that … Continue reading “Syros, a Whitehead and Dana-Farber Spinoff, Snags $30M For Cancer”
Unica Founder and MIT Blackjack Alum Yuchun Lee Joins General Catalyst
This is a micro-trend among Boston-area entrepreneurs and VC firms: the latter hiring the former. Unica founder and ex-IBM exec Yuchun Lee is joining General Catalyst Partners as an entrepreneur in residence, where he’ll work with the venture firm’s growth equity team on enterprise software and analytics companies. Lee co-founded Unica back in 1992 and … Continue reading “Unica Founder and MIT Blackjack Alum Yuchun Lee Joins General Catalyst”
Venture Deals Neared $7B in First Quarter, Up From 2012
We recently looked at which venture capitalists were raising money last quarter. Now we’ve got some insight into how they spent it. Research firm CB Insights says it tracked $6.9 billion in VC investments nationwide in the first quarter of this year, spread across 841 deals. Those totals represented a steady pace compared with the … Continue reading “Venture Deals Neared $7B in First Quarter, Up From 2012”
Aspen Aerogels Garners $11,959,705 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4ecd58e5-36f8-4d3b-b53c-723edd439121&Preview=1 Date 4/11/2013 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 $11,959,705 Transaction … Continue reading “Aspen Aerogels Garners $11,959,705 New Funding”
NEVY Awards 2013: The Finalists
This is the New England Venture Capital Association’s inaugural awards ceremony (information and registration here). From the event description: “No squirming in your seat or polite clapping here. The NEVYs are a night for non-stop cocktails, awesome food, and a killer crowd of hard charging entrepreneurs and VCs who are building the next generation of … Continue reading “NEVY Awards 2013: The Finalists”
The Ultimate “Lean In”: Starting Your Own Company
Sheryl Sandberg brings a much-needed voice to the table on female leadership. She speaks from the vantage point of a strong executive who has made her way to the top. Her concept of leaning in and not leaving before you leave is important, but all this comes from an employee’s view. About four years ago, … Continue reading “The Ultimate “Lean In”: Starting Your Own Company”
Lighting the Way to Better Understanding of the Brain
We are enamored by our brains. Arguably the most complex system in the universe that is made up of over 80 billion neurons, the brain is a complex organ that can be a source of marvel and devastation, from human consciousness to neurodegenerative disease. The triumph of overcoming brain disease and injury is captivating: Neuroscientist … Continue reading “Lighting the Way to Better Understanding of the Brain”
Boston Roundup: Care.com, Kendall Square, SavingStar
Some hiring, regulation, and investing news around the Boston area in the past few days: —Care.com, the heavily-financed operator of online caregiver search services, is stoking more speculation of an upcoming IPO. This time, it’s because the company has hired former iRobot financial chief John Leahy as its new CFO. Care.com has raised more than … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: Care.com, Kendall Square, SavingStar”
TripAdvisor Picks Up Jetsetter from Gilt
A little bit of property changing hands in the online travel sector: Newton, MA-based TripAdvisor is buying travel-deals site Jetsetter from Gilt, a New York e-commerce startup. No terms were given for the deal, but BetaBeat reported last fall that Gilt had been shopping Jetsetter for $30 million-$50 million. The sale to TripAdvisor was also … Continue reading “TripAdvisor Picks Up Jetsetter from Gilt”
TechSandBox Looking to Rally Entrepreneurs in Boston’s MetroWest
Here’s a concept: a Boston-area startup incubator outside of Route 128. What’s outside 128, you ask? A whole lot of experienced technology and life sciences workers, that’s what. And some of them want to start new companies, without commuting every day into the rush-hour hell that is Boston and Cambridge. That’s the impetus behind TechSandBox, … Continue reading “TechSandBox Looking to Rally Entrepreneurs in Boston’s MetroWest”
More Fuel for the New Database Wars: ParElastic Raises $5.7M
Online, on-demand computing power has transformed the way businesses and everyday people use software and data storage. Just ask techies who had to buy racks of servers just to start their dot-com-era companies, or one of us poor suckers who remembers shelling out for those cardboard-boxed PC applications. But the formula of seamlessly delivered, constantly … Continue reading “More Fuel for the New Database Wars: ParElastic Raises $5.7M”
Ziopharm Goes Lean to Stretch Funds for New Synthetic Biology Focus
New York-based Ziopharm Oncology (NASDAQ: ZIOP), which once seemed on the runway toward its first product approval for a relatively conventional cancer drug, is now buying itself time to sell Wall Street on a new mission to pioneer a cutting-edge technology. Ziopharm, which has an office in the Boston area, slashed its workforce by about … Continue reading “Ziopharm Goes Lean to Stretch Funds for New Synthetic Biology Focus”
SavingStar Receives $9,100,000 Series D Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2b7104c5-60e0-4e44-ad24-7e76fb8872ff&Preview=1 Date 4/9/2013 Company Name SavingStar Mailing Address 400-1 Totten Pond Road Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description SavingStar enables consumer packaged goods brands and retailers to promote their products and services to all consumers through fully digital promotion, distribution, and rewards fulfillment. In addition to providing Upromise Grocery, a program through which … Continue reading “SavingStar Receives $9,100,000 Series D Financing”
ParElastic Obtains $5,700,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=354fc70c-d816-4451-9148-81d91619b7f3&Preview=1 Date 4/9/2013 Company Name ParElastic Mailing Address 1050 Winter St. Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description ParElastic is an elastic database middle-ware that creates a virtual elastic relational database from a collection of unaffiliated, free-running, industry standard relational databases. Website http://www.parelastic.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,700,000 Transaction Round Series A … Continue reading “ParElastic Obtains $5,700,000 Series A Funding Round”
Belmont Technology Lands $25,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=22222bc5-e024-408b-9062-fbc7890b446b&Preview=1 Date 4/9/2013 Company Name Belmont Technology Mailing Address Undisclosed Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Belmont Technology is a startup founded by CAD pioneers. We are applying cool new computing technologies to product design. Website http://www.belmonttechinc.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $25,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The company will reportedly … Continue reading “Belmont Technology Lands $25,000,000 New Funding”
EndoEvolution Lands $5,000,000 Series C Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8acf8fbc-138f-4452-b0c3-5c291d981f47&Preview=1 Date 4/9/2013 Company Name EndoEvolution Mailing Address 51 Middlesex Street North Chelmsford, MA 01863 Company Description EndoEvolution, LLC, is an emerging medical device company developing next-generation automated suturing devices for minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Website http://www.endo360surgical.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,000 Transaction Round Series C Proceeds Purposes EndoEvolution’s Endo360 … Continue reading “EndoEvolution Lands $5,000,000 Series C Financing”
Fashion Project Receives $1,800,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8d108a5c-a049-47f5-bc0b-6fcd231fff67&Preview=1 Date 4/9/2013 Company Name Fashion Project Mailing Address Undisclosed Boston, MA 02101 Company Description Fashion Project is the exclusive service where you donate & shop for designer labels — with a portion of every sale going to charity. Website http://www.fashionproject.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,800,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds … Continue reading “Fashion Project Receives $1,800,000 Seed Round”
Elder Care, iPad Toys, & Food: Inside the HBS New Venture Competition
Business plan competitions are in full bloom at colleges and universities around Boston. One of the most prominent ones, at Harvard Business School, got a facelift this year and is in the process of selecting its semifinalists. The program is now called the HBS New Venture Competition (fka Business Plan Contest). The name change seems … Continue reading “Elder Care, iPad Toys, & Food: Inside the HBS New Venture Competition”
The Publishing Industrial Complex is Dead. Long Live the Publishers!
When Fred Wilson wrote about Simplified Content Marketing, he got hundreds of comments, many of them saying essentially that this was nothing new. They are wrong. There’s something really dramatically new going on, but the shift is so massive, so tectonic, that it’s a little hard to even see while being in the middle of … Continue reading “The Publishing Industrial Complex is Dead. Long Live the Publishers!”
Blueprint Health Demo Day Reveals Ideas for Hospital Efficiency
Graduating its third group of startups, the Blueprint Health accelerator in New York is increasingly making its presence known beyond the city. Late last week, 11 companies pitched their technology at a demo day that included platforms for improving efficiency at hospitals and giving medical device companies more ways to connect with physicians. Mat Farkash, … Continue reading “Blueprint Health Demo Day Reveals Ideas for Hospital Efficiency”
MA Venture Firms Lead the Way in Slow Q1 Fundraising
Three Boston-area venture capital firms led the nation in VC fundraising during the first quarter of this year, a slow period that reflects continued retraction and consolidation in the venture industry. In their latest quarterly report on VC fundraising, Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association say that some 35 venture funds raised nearly … Continue reading “MA Venture Firms Lead the Way in Slow Q1 Fundraising”
Boston Biotech Seizes the Momentum: The Photos
New York is the place to build a career in finance. LA is the place for entertainment. And now Greater Boston is increasingly becoming the hottest place for all things biotech. This story has been evolving for decades, and Boston/Cambridge/Waltham et al. spent many of those years as a respected No. 2 hub behind San … Continue reading “Boston Biotech Seizes the Momentum: The Photos”
The Brain Map Shouldn’t Get $100M a Year. It Should Get Much More
The human brain, as Francis Collins recently said, “is the most complicated organ in the universe.” We only have vague ideas today of how it works at the level of genes, and neural circuits. Deeper understanding could help us unravel some of today’s great mysteries, from autism to Alzheimer’s to epilepsy. The sequencing of the … Continue reading “The Brain Map Shouldn’t Get $100M a Year. It Should Get Much More”
3 Takeaways from Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” Tour
I haven’t read all of Sheryl Sandberg’s book yet. I’m not on Facebook. Also, I’m a man. That makes me a perfect commentator for her “Lean In” book tour, which hit Boston this week. Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, spoke to a crowd of several hundred entrepreneurs, investors, and startup/marketing folks at the … Continue reading “3 Takeaways from Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” Tour”
Eye on the Living Room: How Dropcam Makes Surveillance Feel Safe
Ten years ago this month, I edited a cover story for MIT’s Technology Review magazine called “Surveillance Nation.” Written by veteran science journalist Charles Mann and network security guru Dan Farmer, the story looked at the state of digital video circa 2003 and envisaged a near future where every home, business, and street would be … Continue reading “Eye on the Living Room: How Dropcam Makes Surveillance Feel Safe”
East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Optimer, Bind, Pfizer, and More
The life sciences clusters around New York and Boston may sometimes act like rivals, but they also have plenty of reasons to work together. This week was marked by deals and cross-fertilizations between big pharmaceutical companies in the wider New York metropolitan area and small biotechnology companies in Cambridge, MA. As for the East Coast-West … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Optimer, Bind, Pfizer, and More”
Now is the Time to Push for a Robot-Assisted Surgery Revolution
As recently reported in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Bloomberg News, there is a controversy brewing over robotic surgery and whether it is superior to alternative surgical approaches. Robotic training practices have also been questioned and it has been debated whether surgeons are receiving enough supervised cases before flying solo. What … Continue reading “Now is the Time to Push for a Robot-Assisted Surgery Revolution”
Boston Tech Roundup: Attune, Cognex, GreenBytes, LevelUp, & More
Here we go, catching up on an insanely busy news and events week in Boston. (That’s it, Curt, no more vacations.) —Cognex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CGNX]]), the Natick, MA-based computer-vision tech company (which I always forget is locally based), filed a lawsuit against Renton, WA-based Microscan over alleged patent infringement. You can read the details in the … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Attune, Cognex, GreenBytes, LevelUp, & More”
WorldOne Getting $35M to Expand Sermo Physician Network
A pretty big deal in healthcare IT this morning: WorldOne, a health data and intelligence company based in New York, says it has secured a $35 million funding commitment from Deerfield Management, also in New York. The main focus is to expand Sermo, the Cambridge, MA-based online community for physicians, which WorldOne acquired last July. … Continue reading “WorldOne Getting $35M to Expand Sermo Physician Network”
Bind Therapeutics Reels Pfizer into Nanomedicine Partnership
Cambridge, MA-based Bind Therapeutics changed its name earlier this week to ditch the word “biosciences,” because it wants to the show the world it’s not just all about science—it’s morphing into a science-based drug company. Now it has another deal with a very big drugmaker that could help it achieve that goal. Bind is announcing … Continue reading “Bind Therapeutics Reels Pfizer into Nanomedicine Partnership”
Sequencing Seattle: An Idea for the Future of the Northwest
Let me make a modest proposal: Seattle should commit to sequencing and interpreting the genomes of every willing member of its population and should do it within the next five years. This program would elevate Seattle to the forefront of personalized genomic medicine, leverage many advantages unique to our area, and create a vibrant and … Continue reading “Sequencing Seattle: An Idea for the Future of the Northwest”
SEC’s New Social Media Guidance: Sensible, Fair, Inevitable
Give the SEC a lot of credit…the headline they chose for their press release yesterday about public companies using social media could not have been more clear: “SEC Says Social Media OK for Company Announcements if Investors Are Alerted.” With those words, and a full report here, the commission has blessed the inevitable modernization of corporate … Continue reading “SEC’s New Social Media Guidance: Sensible, Fair, Inevitable”
ProcessUnity Garners $5,000,000 Series C Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=56db1bb5-4b32-4d0d-af7a-e441e406046f&Preview=1 Date 4/3/2013 Company Name ProcessUnity Mailing Address 33 Bradford Street Concord, MA 01742 Company Description ProcessUnity is a privately-held Risk Management solutions company headquartered along Route 128 in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. Website http://www.processunity.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,000 Transaction Round Series C Proceeds Purposes The funding will support the … Continue reading “ProcessUnity Garners $5,000,000 Series C Round”
3D Startup Lagoa Has Designs on $1.6M Seed Round, Boston Expansion
There’s a new player in town in 3D design and graphics software—a field that has deep roots in Boston. Lagoa (fka TeamUp) has rolled out a cloud-based interactive rendering and collaboration platform today. The company says this product is the first of its kind. Lagoa has recently raised $1.6 million in seed funding from 500 … Continue reading “3D Startup Lagoa Has Designs on $1.6M Seed Round, Boston Expansion”
Healthcare IT: Making Good Progress
The cost of healthcare administration is a hot issue in America. According to the Center for American progress, in the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $361 billion annually goes to cover administrative costs. That number is a 14 percent of total healthcare expenditure nationwide. Improvements in IT are expected to reduce these expenditures dramatically. The … Continue reading “Healthcare IT: Making Good Progress”
A Sandwich, a Startup, and Soon, a Lawsuit? The Crunchbutton Story
It all started with a sandwich. As great stories often do. Judd Rosenblatt was a senior at Yale. There is a popular food item among Yalies, called the Wenzel, consisting of a chicken cutlet sub with cheese, mayo, and hot sauce, made by a New Haven eatery. Rosenblatt and his partners made a mobile Web … Continue reading “A Sandwich, a Startup, and Soon, a Lawsuit? The Crunchbutton Story”
One of the Lucky Few: HighFive Kicks Off Nike+ Accelerator
Brent Gilmore was just looking for a Web domain. He wound up with a co-founder, a new company, and a trip across the country. Gilmore’s startup, HighFive, is part of the new Nike+ Accelerator program, a three-month product bootcamp run by prominent national startup accelerator TechStars. The program kicked off last month and runs through … Continue reading “One of the Lucky Few: HighFive Kicks Off Nike+ Accelerator”
TARIS Biomedical Receives $12,500,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=224e24f0-4566-4fbc-8c62-50e214fe3e69&Preview=1 Date 4/2/2013 Company Name TARIS Biomedical Mailing Address 99 Hayden Avenue Lexington, MA 02421 Company Description TARIS Biomedical Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company with deep domain expertise in therapeutics and drug-delivery, is focused on local minimally-invasive drug-device convergence products. Website http://www.tarisbiomedical.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $12,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “TARIS Biomedical Receives $12,500,000 New Financing”
Sport Ngin Obtains $6,000,000 Series C Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1cbc774c-8c06-4162-819b-cff646fd0a35&Preview=1 Date 4/2/2013 Company Name Sport Ngin Mailing Address 1400 Van Buren Street NE Minneapolis, ME 55413 Company Description We design and create digital tools that empower organizations to engage their audience in meaningful ways. We strive to create experiences that encourage collaboration, sharing and connectivity. We take pride in our products … Continue reading “Sport Ngin Obtains $6,000,000 Series C Funding Round”
Lumesis Garners $1,981,872 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=46861d53-377d-42b9-b910-eb98e0ed918a&Preview=1 Date 4/2/2013 Company Name Lumesis Mailing Address One Atlantic Street 3rd Floor Stamford, CT 06901 Company Description Lumesis is dedicated to delivering timely data, robust analytical tools and time-sensitive notifications for the fixed income marketplace. We strive to enhance your success by providing relevant and timely information, data and analytical tools … Continue reading “Lumesis Garners $1,981,872 New Funding Round”
Harvard Common Press Has Something New Baking in San Francisco
Harvard Common Press, a Boston-based publisher of cookbooks and parenting guidebooks, said today that it has opened a second office in San Francisco. Why should startup entrepreneurs and other Xconomy readers care about that? Because the company also makes seed investments in food-tech startups—and it’s looking to make a lot more. The 37-year-old firm, owned … Continue reading “Harvard Common Press Has Something New Baking in San Francisco”
Ra Pharmaceuticals Clinches Merck Deal for Up to $200 Million
Cambridge, MA-based Ra Pharmaceuticals has signed a collaboration deal with drug giant Merck (NYSE: MRK) that could provide the small company with as much as $200 million to support the development of its stable of novel drug candidates. The five-year-old startup is creating a library of compounds designed to overcome frequent obstacles in drug development. … Continue reading “Ra Pharmaceuticals Clinches Merck Deal for Up to $200 Million”
Aereo Continues to Fend Off Legal Challenges to Its Cloud-Based TV Service
In an ongoing legal feud, Long Island City’s Aereo announced on Monday that the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the prior denial of motions sought by television network broadcasters for a preliminary injunction against the startup. Aereo, which is backed by Barry Diller’s Internet company IAC in New York, developed a platform and remote antennae … Continue reading “Aereo Continues to Fend Off Legal Challenges to Its Cloud-Based TV Service”
Editor’s Picks: Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of Q1 2013
The first quarter’s in the books, the birds are singing, and this is no April Fool’s story, I assure you. As is my quarterly tradition, I am posting a list of the top 20 stories in Xconomy Boston from January through March 2013. These are the stories that I think best exemplify the kind of … Continue reading “Editor’s Picks: Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of Q1 2013”
Nuance Brings Madison Avenue Mobile Ads That Talk To You
If you could have a conversation with an ad on your mobile phone, would you pay more attention to it? Nuance Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUAN]]), maker of widely used voice recognition software, and some of the biggest names in advertising are betting that you will. The company is putting its technology in the hands of Madison … Continue reading “Nuance Brings Madison Avenue Mobile Ads That Talk To You”
Gilead Sciences Building on HIV, Becoming Cancer Drug Force
Gilead Sciences has had what you could call a “high-class problem” the last few years. Biotech companies that are great at one thing eventually must prove they can be great at something else. And Gilead is showing signs that it’s finally on its way to becoming a truly diversified biotech industry leader, with a plan … Continue reading “Gilead Sciences Building on HIV, Becoming Cancer Drug Force”