Category: Boston

QD Vision Receives $20,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c88d7f2a-52e1-4f09-9b8e-f32aeee9ba38&Preview=1 Date 3/30/2013 Company Name QD Vision Mailing Address 29 Hartwell Ave Lexington, MA 02421 Company Description Our leading edge solutions will give customers decisive performance and manufacturing advantages in the competitive market for flat panel displays. Because our solutions use standard OLED device structures, customers with installed manufacturing equipment can leverage … Continue reading “QD Vision Receives $20,000,000 New Funding”

Jerry Fishman, Analog Devices CEO, Dead at 67: Some of His Insights

Analog Devices announced today that its CEO, Jerry Fishman, passed away from an apparent heart attack on Thursday evening. He was 67. Fishman had been chief executive of Analog, an electronics firm specializing in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, since 1996. He joined the company in 1971 in product marketing and proceeded to climb … Continue reading “Jerry Fishman, Analog Devices CEO, Dead at 67: Some of His Insights”

QD Vision, With $20M More in VC, Waves Flag for Boston Nanotech

QD Vision is a throwback to the days when “nano” was cool. OK, that was 10 years ago, but still. These days you would be hard-pressed to find many thriving nanomaterials companies in the Boston area (not counting biotechs). But Lexington, MA-based QD Vision seems to be doing just fine. The company has just closed … Continue reading “QD Vision, With $20M More in VC, Waves Flag for Boston Nanotech”

To Do Or Not To Do? That Is the Question

Do you really need a to-do list? In the age of personal optimization, when books like The 4-Hour Workweek peddle the idea that you could be superhumanly productive if you just had the right tools, the question is almost blasphemous. Of course you need a to-do list. How else are you supposed to know what … Continue reading “To Do Or Not To Do? That Is the Question”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Biogen Idec, Third Rock, T2 Bio, Dart

Biogen Idec reinforced its dominance in multiple sclerosis this week with the approval of its oral drug for the disease, while Third Rock Ventures amassed half a billion dollars more to foster the life sciences contenders of the future. Fundraising and new drug candidates made news for Massachusetts biotechnology companies, and New York City kept … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Biogen Idec, Third Rock, T2 Bio, Dart”

Foundation-Backed Dart Revs Up, Seeks Venture Funds

The small Cambridge, MA-based company Dart Therapeutics has been racing along the startup track in recent months. In September, it assembled a veteran executive team headed by CEO Gene Williams, a Genzyme veteran. This month, it in-licensed its second drug candidate for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and made a deal that might identify other potential medicines against the … Continue reading “Foundation-Backed Dart Revs Up, Seeks Venture Funds”

OvaScience Secures $34,999,920 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4047fca4-d5a8-49af-af5f-cfd000648761&Preview=1 Date 3/29/2013 Company Name OvaScience Mailing Address 800 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02199 Company Description The company is applying innovative science to improve the quality of eggs (oocytes) and increase the success of in vitro fertilization (IVF). OvaScience’s proprietary technology, exclusively licensed from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, enables … Continue reading “OvaScience Secures $34,999,920 New Funding”

Boulder and Denver, a Mile High Sibling Rivalry

Dear Xconomy, Welcome to Colorado. We’re glad to have you, but there’s a… thing you should know about. From the outside, the startup environment in Colorado just seems like one big funky but remarkably effective family of startup goodness. But, like any family, we have our internecine feuds. We are speaking, of course, about the … Continue reading “Boulder and Denver, a Mile High Sibling Rivalry”

Announcing Xconomy Boulder/Denver—7th Region in Our Network

Thank you Boulder and Denver! We are extremely pleased to announce today the launch of Xconomy Boulder/Denver, the seventh bureau in our growing network of news sites covering the business of technology in key innovation clusters around the United States. We couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of the entrepreneurial and innovation communities … Continue reading “Announcing Xconomy Boulder/Denver—7th Region in Our Network”

Still Waiting for the Ships to Come in at Third Rock Ventures

Third Rock Ventures was in the enviable position of turning away some institutional investors when the life sciences venture firm recently closed on $516 million for its third venture fund. So first let me say, “Congratulations!” to team Third Rock. Mark Levin has demonstrated at Third Rock and as the chairman and CEO of Cambridge, … Continue reading “Still Waiting for the Ships to Come in at Third Rock Ventures”

HubSpot Goes Shopping Again, Buys Two Small Startups

HubSpot said it would spend some of its new $35 million in investment cash on acquisitions, and today it’s making good on that pledge. The Cambridge, MA-based marketing software company says it has purchased Toronto-based Chime and New Haven, CT-based PrepWork. Chime made a browser plug-in that pulls together social media feeds, while PrepWork’s product … Continue reading “HubSpot Goes Shopping Again, Buys Two Small Startups”

Boston Roundup: Harmonix, Medrobotics, High Street Partners, & More

Some fundraising, acquisition, and board-member news from Boston-area tech companies big and small, old and new, from video games to surgical robots and beyond: —Harmonix, the video game developer behind Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Central, is adding Foundry Group VC Brad Feld to its board. Feld notes he was an angel investor in … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: Harmonix, Medrobotics, High Street Partners, & More”

XSITE 2013: Boston’s Tech Revival Coming June 19

Boston tech is back, baby. We might not be Silicon Valley, but who cares? The Boston area has incredible amounts of technical talent, business expertise, capital, culture, and new ideas. Over the past few years, those pieces of the innovation community seem to have meshed together into a more unified whole. There are a whole … Continue reading “XSITE 2013: Boston’s Tech Revival Coming June 19”

Virtify Receives $1,578,087 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=97244997-7c18-45fb-a255-043e5139af1e&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2013 Company Name Virtify Mailing Address 55 Cambridge Parkway Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Virtify is the market leader in Enterprise Content Compliance solutions for life sciences. Organizations rely on Virtify to reduce time-to-market, risk, and costs by managing and automating the complex regulatory compliance and content exchange requirements throughout … Continue reading “Virtify Receives $1,578,087 New Financing Round”

Nano-C Obtains New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2ca585fd-b2b4-4e4f-b27b-192dc485889c&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2013 Company Name Nano-C Mailing Address 33 Southwest Park Westwood, MA 02090 Company Description Nano-C started operations in 2001, and is a leader in the world of nanostructured carbon materials including fullerenes, nanotubes, and their chemical derivatives. Nano-C’s mission is to play a key role in enabling new applications of … Continue reading “Nano-C Obtains New Financing Round”

T2 Biosystems Obtains $40,000,000 Series E Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a66aa527-ae36-4d99-a8ad-a976003b2e4d&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2013 Company Name T2 Biosystems Mailing Address 101 Hartwell Avenue Lexington, MA 02421 Company Description T2 Biosystems is a newly formed diagnostics company ushering in a new wave of innovative products to improve medical decision-making and treatment. Our proprietary biosensor technology was invented by a team of world-renowned scientists at … Continue reading “T2 Biosystems Obtains $40,000,000 Series E Funding”

Wave Systems Secures $1,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d20f5d17-5292-461e-86c3-c8be8395bd38&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2013 Company Name Wave Systems Mailing Address 480 Pleasant Street Lee, MA 01238 Company Description Wave Systems is a leading provider of client and server software for hardware-based digital security, enabling organizations to know who is connecting to their critical IT infrastructure, protect corporate data, and strengthen the boundaries of … Continue reading “Wave Systems Secures $1,000,000 New Funding Round”

Spectra Analysis Garners $1,352,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fe2ca21c-32eb-4385-8e7f-e01c06600fcd&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2013 Company Name Spectra Analysis Mailing Address 257 Simarano Drive Marlborough, MA 01752 Company Description Spectra Analysis, Inc. is a leading supplier of molecular spectroscopy systems and applications for chromatography. Our current products focus on real-time connection of Infrared Spectroscopy to Gas and Liquid Chromatography. Website http://www.spectra-analysis.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Spectra Analysis Garners $1,352,000 New Funding”

Biogen Idec Wins FDA Approval For Oral Multiple Sclerosis Drug

[Updated: 3/29/13, 1:40 pm ET] Biogen Idec, already the world’s largest maker of multiple sclerosis drugs, has been eagerly awaiting the green light to start selling its next big thing—its first oral pill for MS. Today, the FDA gave that all-important go-ahead. The Weston, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) won clearance to sell dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera) … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Wins FDA Approval For Oral Multiple Sclerosis Drug”

The Inevitability of Archiving Social Networking Data

Making A Case For Email Archiving In 1985 In 1985, I was part of a team at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) that was doing some very radical things, including deploying Internet e-mail to the entire campus. Some people were quite skeptical about the whole enterprise, fearing in particular that letting “the masses” loose on the … Continue reading “The Inevitability of Archiving Social Networking Data”

Kleiner & Sequoia’s Fund Returns Could be Exposed in CA Lawsuit

As venture capital firms feel the squeeze from new competitors, unsatisfied investors, and stagnant markets, two of the industry’s biggest names could finally have their performance data revealed to the public. A California lawsuit from the news organization Reuters is threatening to expose the performance records of Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers—Silicon … Continue reading “Kleiner & Sequoia’s Fund Returns Could be Exposed in CA Lawsuit”

Tasktop Talks Up New Model to Boost Software Delivery, Productivity

Anything that describes itself as “the opposite of Facebook” is OK with me. Enter Mik Kersten, the CEO and co-founder of Tasktop Technologies. “Vendors want to create ‘Facebook for software,’” he says, referring to more social ways to develop, deploy, and manage applications. “It would be a beautiful world, but Facebook is good at one … Continue reading “Tasktop Talks Up New Model to Boost Software Delivery, Productivity”

SynapDx Obtains New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e163aab4-06fa-4366-8269-86952e58aa21&Preview=1 Date 3/27/2013 Company Name SynapDx Mailing Address 153 Cordaville Road Southborough, MA 01772 Company Description SynapDx was formed to develop and commercialize blood-based diagnostic tests for the early detection of autism. Website http://www.synapdx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The funding will support the ongoing … Continue reading “SynapDx Obtains New Financing”

LogicSource Secures $5,000,003 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a485ba59-3963-4fea-948c-c2216d96bad1&Preview=1 Date 3/27/2013 Company Name LogicSource Mailing Address 20 Marshall Street South Norwalk, CT 06854 Company Description We focus exclusively on the procurement of printed materials and related commodities and services. In partnership with Bain Capital, we have built our company with the singular vision of driving measurable and sustainable cost savings … Continue reading “LogicSource Secures $5,000,003 New Financing Round”

Standing Up for ‘Lean In:’ What’s Wrong with Managing Your Career?

Sheryl Sandberg got it right. In Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, Facebook’s COO offers a compelling view on how women managers can empower themselves in today’s workplace. Sandberg does not complain about the “glass ceiling” or “the old boys club.” Instead she gives straightforward advice on how to focus on things … Continue reading “Standing Up for ‘Lean In:’ What’s Wrong with Managing Your Career?”

Build Credibility As You Build Your Business

Whether you are a first-time entrepreneur or a veteran company executive, the one aspect of growing a business and raising capital, or selling a product rarely discussed at seminars is the building of your organization’s credibility. It doesn’t get much attention when you issue your quarterly report because it is not always easy to measure … Continue reading “Build Credibility As You Build Your Business”

Q&A With Bob Tepper on What’s Next for Third Rock Ventures

Third Rock Ventures had the biotech industry buzzing yesterday. It raised its third fund, worth $516 million, to invest in early-stage biotech drug, device, and diagnostic companies. While many biotech VCs are winding down operations or switching to late-stage investing strategies to show quick returns, Boston and San Francisco-based Third Rock has moved in the … Continue reading “Q&A With Bob Tepper on What’s Next for Third Rock Ventures”

Teespring Garners $100,000 Seed Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d5b81a59-af72-4b6d-ae7b-8ccedb5b69e5&Preview=1 Date 3/26/2013 Company Name Teespring Mailing Address 3 Davol Square Providence, RI 02903 Company Description Teespring allows you to create & sell custom tees with zero upfront costs, and zero risk. Create & sell t-shirts online the easy way. No paying thousands of dollars upfront, no guessing how many shirts or … Continue reading “Teespring Garners $100,000 Seed Financing”

Second Boundless Co-Founder Leaves E-Textbook Startup

Another co-founder is leaving Boundless, a Boston-based e-textbook startup that has been battling a federal lawsuit from big textbook publishers. Aaron White, one of three Boundless co-founders, says in a blog post today that he’s stepping down from his job as chief technology officer. He will remain on the board, but says he has no … Continue reading “Second Boundless Co-Founder Leaves E-Textbook Startup”

RentShare Adds Handybook to its Web Platform for Splitting Living Expenses

Sharing rent and other expenses with roommates can create more than a few headaches for urbanites, so it’s no wonder that two startups have combined their services to chase this market. New York’s RentShare recently integrated on its website Handybook’s online service for booking handymen, maids, plumbers, and other services. Handybook is headquartered in New … Continue reading “RentShare Adds Handybook to its Web Platform for Splitting Living Expenses”

Rock Health Helps Medical-App Builders Navigate Nascent FDA Rules

[Updated, see below] With more than 60,000 health-related smartphone and tablet apps already available in the iTunes App Store and Google Play—the Android app marketplace—it’s clear that consumers are going to be getting more and more of their health information, and possibly even diagnosis and treatment, from their mobile gadgets. In Washington, DC, last week, … Continue reading “Rock Health Helps Medical-App Builders Navigate Nascent FDA Rules”

What’s Going on at Avid? Nothing Good, It Seems

Avid Technology, the Burlington, MA-based maker of video and audio editing software, is trying to dig itself out of a pretty big hole. And right now, there are more questions than answers. Avid’s stock (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVID]]) has fallen steeply since late February, when the company announced that it wouldn’t be able to make the quarterly … Continue reading “What’s Going on at Avid? Nothing Good, It Seems”

Third Rock Stocks Up With $516M New Fund, Looks to Start 16 Cos

Third Rock Ventures has spent the last six years betting big on early stage biotech investing when most other VC firms have been hunkering down or getting out of healthcare investing altogether. Now Third Rock has been rewarded with another $516 million to keep doing what it’s been doing. The Boston and San Francisco-based firm, … Continue reading “Third Rock Stocks Up With $516M New Fund, Looks to Start 16 Cos”

Complying with Regulations Doesn’t Have to Slow Down Your Startup

These are exciting times for innovators. Arguably never before have the right opportunities, circumstances, and technologies come together as they have today to create such a fertile ground for the creation of new products and services. Yet one of the biggest obstacles along the way is the increasing burden of regulations. And the ones who … Continue reading “Complying with Regulations Doesn’t Have to Slow Down Your Startup”

Biotech VCs Aren’t Lemmings Anymore. They’re Lone Rangers

A certain song has been running through my head the past few days. Lately, it strikes me as an anthem of sorts for biotech venture capital in 2013. It’s Fleetwood Mac’s classic break-up song, “Go Your Own Way.” Allow me to explain. Biotech venture capital has been going through a shakeout now for a couple … Continue reading “Biotech VCs Aren’t Lemmings Anymore. They’re Lone Rangers”

High Street Partners Garners $8,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1d554ac9-af23-4c54-bf03-0330e353f60d&Preview=1 Date 3/25/2013 Company Name High Street Partners Mailing Address 31 St. James Ave. Boston, MA 02116 Company Description High Street Partners (HSP) is the leader in international business services, providing a single source for the implementation and ongoing management of international subsidiaries and other entities, including registration, payroll, accounting, bookkeeping, tax … Continue reading “High Street Partners Garners $8,000,000 New Financing”

High Street Partners Secures $8,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1d554ac9-af23-4c54-bf03-0330e353f60d&Preview=1 Date 3/25/2013 Company Name High Street Partners Mailing Address 31 St. James Ave. Boston, MA 02116 Company Description High Street Partners (HSP) is the leader in international business services, providing a single source for the implementation and ongoing management of international subsidiaries and other entities, including registration, payroll, accounting, bookkeeping, tax … Continue reading “High Street Partners Secures $8,000,000 New Round”

Cerulean Pharma Fails to Extend Lives in Lung Cancer Study

Cambridge, MA-based Cerulean Pharma spent a lot of time and money trying to get the answer to an important question—whether its new drug could extend the lives of terminally ill lung cancer patients. The answer isn’t good. Cerulean, the developer of a nanoparticle technology for delivering toxic chemotherapy to cancer cells, said today that its … Continue reading “Cerulean Pharma Fails to Extend Lives in Lung Cancer Study”

Saying Farewell to World Wide Wade

They say it’s better to quit while you’re ahead, and I believe them. It’s easy to see what happens when you don’t. Remember season 7 of The West Wing? The second term of Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency? All of the Star Wars prequels? With precedents like that in mind, I’m shutting down World Wide Wade. … Continue reading “Saying Farewell to World Wide Wade”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Moderna, bluebird, Blueprint

During this early spring week, it was a great time to focus on the fledgling efforts of East Coast drug hunters. A couple small companies pulled in lucrative partnerships, and two others saw their NASDAQ dreams come true. Read on, for more of the details. —AstraZeneca inked a notably rich deal with the small biotech … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Moderna, bluebird, Blueprint”

EverTrue Garners $5,250,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7af8f5df-6b4c-4ae1-90a6-39feff60a8ca&Preview=1 Date 3/22/2013 Company Name EverTrue Mailing Address 290 Congress Street 7th Floor Boston, MA 02210 Company Description We are class officers, alumni club leaders and annual fund volunteers. We are grateful for the generosity of donors who helped fund our education. We are committed to inspiring our peers to support the … Continue reading “EverTrue Garners $5,250,000 Series A Financing”

Medrobotics Lands $10,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a1157450-be00-404a-b3cb-f9dcd1b31dc0&Preview=1 Date 3/22/2013 Company Name Medrobotics Mailing Address 475 Paramount Drive Raynham, MA 02767 Company Description Medrobotics has exclusive worldwide licenses for its technologies from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh as well as additional robust development of its own intellectual property portfolio. The Company has an operational facility in … Continue reading “Medrobotics Lands $10,000,000 New Funding Round”

Enanta, Tetraphase Go Public in Boston Biotech IPO Madness

If Boston biotech were playing in this week’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament, it would have to be a No. 1 seed. It’s not every week that a region gets to claim that two of its biotech companies went public, and neither one immediately crashed. This week, the local cluster saw two little companies from Watertown, … Continue reading “Enanta, Tetraphase Go Public in Boston Biotech IPO Madness”

With Tiny Tycoons, The Tap Lab Leads New Charge of Boston Game Studios

[Updated with game trailer, 2:05 pm] That sound you hear is a dozen or more independent studios churning out new games around town. The games are mostly for the mobile-social set, and they are mostly free to play, with an emphasis on attracting and retaining users. They make money through a combination of advertising, virtual … Continue reading “With Tiny Tycoons, The Tap Lab Leads New Charge of Boston Game Studios”