Synageva BioPharma (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GEVA]]) announced today that it is commencing an $80 million secondary offering, less than six months after raising $115 million in a July secondary offering. The Lexington, MA-based company is developing drugs for very rare diseases, and currently has one candidate, SBC-102, in a Phase I/II clinical trial. The drug targets lysosomal … Continue reading “Synageva BioPharma Announces $80 Million Stock Offering”
Category: Boston
Alkermes Aims for Psychiatric Drug That Won’t Pack on the Pounds
Eli Lilly once made a fortune on a schizophrenia drug that helped a lot of people, but came with a nasty side effect—weight gain. Now Dublin, Ireland- and Waltham, MA-based Alkermes is wagering that it can get the benefits of the original treatment without causing patients to add so many extra pounds. Alkermes (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALKS]]) … Continue reading “Alkermes Aims for Psychiatric Drug That Won’t Pack on the Pounds”
Boston News Roundup: Consumer United, Kyruus, Nara, & More
Some pieces of Boston-area innovation news that have been kicking around in the post-holiday lull, now fresh for consideration: —Consumer United, a Boston-based company that pools consumers to get better rates on insurance and other services, has raised about $21.2 in equity financing, according to an SEC filing. The company was listed on the Inc. … Continue reading “Boston News Roundup: Consumer United, Kyruus, Nara, & More”
Tego Lands $1,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ef2ed4cb-f527-48ad-84a2-60e9362977d0&Preview=1 Date 1/3/2013 Company Name Tego Mailing Address 375 Totten Pond Road Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Tego is a fabless designer and producer of passive RFID tags with substantially higher memory and functionality than that offered by any competitor. Our proprietary RFID tag architecture incorporates recent advances in memory design and … Continue reading “Tego Lands $1,000,000 New Financing Round”
StartDate Labs Receives $1,299,995 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=147a405a-cc78-4780-b829-693e5ac5ae04&Preview=1 Date 1/3/2013 Company Name StartDate Labs Mailing Address 10 Water Street 3rd Floor Lebanon, NH 03766 Company Description StartWire is powered by a team of recruiting industry veterans, job search experts, world-class technologists, and forward thinking investors all unified by a simple mission: to radically improve job search. Website http://www.startwire.com Transaction … Continue reading “StartDate Labs Receives $1,299,995 New Financing”
7 Reasons to Hate the Zipcar-Avis Deal
Some people make New Year’s resolutions. I make a list of reasons to hate the biggest Boston-area tech deal of the new year. I am a grump. Yes, Zipcar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZIP]]), the soon-to-be-Boston-based car-rental company, is being acquired by Avis Budget Group for about half a billion dollars. Yes, the venture capitalists who held onto … Continue reading “7 Reasons to Hate the Zipcar-Avis Deal”
Zipcar Snatched Up by Avis After Poor Stock Performance
Zipcar’s modern take on rental cars always seemed like it could give the established industry some headaches. Now, the Cambridge, MA-based company will have to tackle that mission from within the establishment. The Avis Budget group announced today that it’s buying Zipcar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZIP]]) for around $500 million. That works out to $12.25 per share, a … Continue reading “Zipcar Snatched Up by Avis After Poor Stock Performance”
CES Countdown: Startups Plant their Flags and Changes Coming to TV
Each January the makers of gadgets big and small bring an electronic carnival to Las Vegas as they tease the world with glimpses of devices they plan to unleash during the coming year. A few changes are in store for next week’s International CES, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center and nearby hotels. After … Continue reading “CES Countdown: Startups Plant their Flags and Changes Coming to TV”
Ending the Culture of Illness through Healthy Eating
[Editor’s note: To tap the wisdom of our distinguished group of Xconomists, we asked a few of them to answer this question heading into 2013: What makes you optimistic?] As a person who has worked in the healthcare field for over 25 years, I am extremely optimistic about the recent trend towards the democratization of healthful behavior and … Continue reading “Ending the Culture of Illness through Healthy Eating”
Making a Case For Boston JP Morgan
Mens et manus. It’s Latin for “mind and hands” and just happens to be the school motto of MIT. I suspect these words are etched somewhere above a concrete arch that serves as an entrance into one of the halls of learning of this renowned technical university; much the way some of the world’s most … Continue reading “Making a Case For Boston JP Morgan”
Kyruus Lands $11,000,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a883d9d3-a204-4b14-bc0e-bedc6872bd7f&Preview=1 Date 1/2/2013 Company Name Kyruus Mailing Address 374 Congress St. Boston, MA 02210 Company Description Kyruus has developed a software platform that includes professional profiles of doctors and “big data” analytics. Website http://www.kyruus.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $11,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “Kyruus Lands $11,000,000 Series B Financing”
5 Boston Tech Companies Not to Watch in 2013
Everyone, including me, has been talking about which innovative companies people should keep an eye on in the coming year. Zzzzzz … there are plenty of those companies, and too many of those articles. I’m here to tell you about something that might actually be more important: which companies not to watch. Maybe they’re not … Continue reading “5 Boston Tech Companies Not to Watch in 2013”
The Fiscal Cliff Is Forcing a Biomedical Day of Reckoning
Sarah Palin, the onetime candidate for the second-highest elected office in the U.S., once delivered a rant on the campaign trail about waste she perceived in federal support of fruit fly research. Scientists everywhere were appalled. Regardless of whether Palin knew about the historic importance of the drosophila to genetics, they were furious that a … Continue reading “The Fiscal Cliff Is Forcing a Biomedical Day of Reckoning”
The War on Success Will Rage On
[Editor’s note: To tap the wisdom of our distinguished group of Xconomists, we asked a few of them to answer this question heading into 2013: “What does your gut tell you will happen this year even though you don’t have data to prove it?”] The war on success will continue on and capital gains taxes will … Continue reading “The War on Success Will Rage On”
A Wake-Up Call for Angel Investors
[Editor’s note: To tap the wisdom of our distinguished group of Xconomists, we asked a few of them to answer this question heading into 2013: What does your gut tell you will happen in the coming year even though you don’t have data to prove it?] Mindless angel investing in unvalidated ideas will get a jolt. Over … Continue reading “A Wake-Up Call for Angel Investors”
My Best Mistake
[Editor’s note: To tap the wisdom of our distinguished group of Xconomists, we asked a few of them to answer this question heading into 2013: “What was your best mistake?”] Hmmm—I know what my worst one was. Best one was probably pushing Jascha Franklin-Hodge to go to MIT instead of keeping him full time at … Continue reading “My Best Mistake”
InLineAdz Lands $150,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=84485c54-2e56-42fa-aaa6-da6675c414d2&Preview=1 Date 12/28/2012 Company Name InLineAdz Mailing Address 41 Oak St. Westport, CT 06880 Company Description Welcome to InLineAdz, the most cost effective, premier branding opportunity for local companies to increase their business, promote their brand and attract more local customers. As a BBB accredited business, with an A rating status, we … Continue reading “InLineAdz Lands $150,000 New Financing Round”
Green Buildings Online Secures $150,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dd11bebc-b54a-4298-8695-e373cedeb28f&Preview=1 Date 12/28/2012 Company Name Green Buildings Online Mailing Address 4 Abbott Avenue Ridgefield, CT 06877 Company Description Green-Buildings.com is a free online community where you can learn about the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, LEED professional credentials and green buildings of all types. Website http://www.green-buildings.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “Green Buildings Online Secures $150,000 New Round”
As Startups Go Big, Two VCs Wind Down
[Editor’s note: To tap the wisdom of our distinguished group of Xconomists, we asked a few of them to answer this question heading into 2013: “What does your gut tell you will happen next year even though you don’t have data to prove it?”] A dichotomy: At least two more of Boston’s startups make big … Continue reading “As Startups Go Big, Two VCs Wind Down”
A Pivotal Year in Mobile, Energy, Automobiles, Education
[Editor’s note: To tap the wisdom of our distinguished group of Xconomists, we asked a few of them to answer this question heading into 2013: What does your gut tell you will happen in the coming year even though you don’t have data to prove it?] This is a pivotal year in mobile, we are seeing the … Continue reading “A Pivotal Year in Mobile, Energy, Automobiles, Education”
AxioMx Secures $2,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0ef93429-686f-4cd1-bc79-f25a8528f555&Preview=1 Date 12/27/2012 Company Name AxioMx Mailing Address 688 E Main Street Branford, CT 06405 Company Description AxioMx has developed synthetic recombinant antibody libraries with greater than ten billion unique clones. Diversity in our libraries is restricted to the most variable positions in the complementarity determining regions (CDRs) of natural antibody sequences. … Continue reading “AxioMx Secures $2,000,000 New Financing”
Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of the Year: Editor’s Picks
‘Tis the season to be jolly—and to recap the top stories of the year from Xconomy Boston. As always, these aren’t necessarily the highest-traffic stories, though in some cases they are. More importantly, they are stories that best represent what we as a staff try to deliver to our readers every day: real stories, features, … Continue reading “Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of the Year: Editor’s Picks”
A Banner Year for New Drugs
[Editor’s note: To tap the wisdom of our distinguished group of Xconomists, we asked a few of them to answer this question heading into 2013: “What does your gut tell you will happen this year even though you don’t have data to prove it?”] I think there will be even more FDA approvals for New Molecular … Continue reading “A Banner Year for New Drugs”
KnowledgeVision Systems Lands $1,069,106 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9c96785e-caf7-40e9-a3e4-44866cb95fc1&Preview=1 Date 12/26/2012 Company Name KnowledgeVision Systems Mailing Address 676 Elm St. Concord, MA 01742 Company Description Finally, an enterprise-level tool for synchronizing video, PowerPoint, footnotes, handout attachments, and images together into engaging, informative experiences available at any time! Website http://www.knowledgevision.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $1,069,106 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “KnowledgeVision Systems Lands $1,069,106 New Round”
Aura Biosciences Secures $3,226,728 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3dc5558d-f18c-4d5f-ba86-4564e558d97f&Preview=1 Date 12/26/2012 Company Name Aura Biosciences Mailing Address 85 Bolton Street Cambridge, MA 02140 Company Description Aura Biosciences is a next generation biotech company – combining the expertise of leading academic institutions through research and licensing agreements, with the flexibility and efficiency of a dedicated team of in-house scientists, deal-makers, and … Continue reading “Aura Biosciences Secures $3,226,728 New Financing Round”
Persimmon Technologies Secures $3,746,464 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=56f21ac5-9ff0-46b8-8cc0-cb9f2fb4c9d3&Preview=1 Date 12/26/2012 Company Name Persimmon Technologies Mailing Address 200 Harvard Mill Square Wakefield, MA 01880 Company Description Persimmon’s vision is to build the largest vacuum robotics company serving the Semiconductor, LED and Solar markets by 2020 in addition to growing Nidec Sankyo’s atmospheric robot business to the top market position by … Continue reading “Persimmon Technologies Secures $3,746,464 New Funding”
Paper and Airplanes: The Long Road to Obsolescence
As the years go by, I increasingly find the history of the future as interesting as the future itself. We’ve all seen lists of incredibly bad technological predictions, and of course it’s always fun to smugly reflect on how wrong a smart person can be. Grandiose predictions of the future of technology often lead to … Continue reading “Paper and Airplanes: The Long Road to Obsolescence”
Amazon’s Boston Expansion: Cloud, Kiva, Digital Product Jobs
The news that Amazon would finally bring its huge appetite for technical talent to the Boston area was a welcome year-end revelation for the local tech scene. But it also left plenty of room for speculation—namely, just what are they working on over there? I didn’t get any comment from Amazon headquarters in Seattle, which … Continue reading “Amazon’s Boston Expansion: Cloud, Kiva, Digital Product Jobs”
What Makes You Optimistic? Xconomists Chime In.
One of the great pleasures of helping to grow Xconomy over the last five-plus years has been getting to know the diverse and fascinating group of people we call the Xconomists, and getting to hang out with them at our various events around the country. And these last few months it has seemed that many … Continue reading “What Makes You Optimistic? Xconomists Chime In.”
Tough B Rounds and Valuations, New Business Models in 2013
[Editor’s note: To tap the wisdom of our distinguished group of Xconomists, we asked a few of them to answer this question heading into 2013: “What does your gut tell you will happen this year even though you don’t have data to prove it?”] I expect many companies looking for their Series B rounds to … Continue reading “Tough B Rounds and Valuations, New Business Models in 2013”
Water Mission to Israel (Day 4): Bringing It All Back Home
Wednesday, December 19th, marked the last day the full delegation was together in Israel. Several members headed for the airport to catch late-night flights after the final dinner, while a number of smaller groups are remaining behind to pursue additional meetings and touring activities over the coming days. The morning sessions were dedicated to open … Continue reading “Water Mission to Israel (Day 4): Bringing It All Back Home”
Lee Hood, Bob Langer Win National Medals
[Updated: 8:40 pm ET/5:40 pm PT] Leroy Hood, the man who transformed biology by leading the team that invented automated DNA sequencers, has picked up one of the highest honors a scientist can get in the United States—the National Medal of Science. Hood, the co-founder and president of the Seattle-based Institute for Systems Biology, was named … Continue reading “Lee Hood, Bob Langer Win National Medals”
Spreading Good Cheer, and Yankee Candle Scents, with Robot Add-Ons
If you’re still looking for that perfect holiday gift, the folks at Georgetown, MA-based Robot Add-Ons have some ideas. One of them is a charming accessory that lets a Roomba vacuum cleaner spread Yankee Candle fragrance around your home. I know what you’re thinking. It’s not a lit candle moving around on the back of … Continue reading “Spreading Good Cheer, and Yankee Candle Scents, with Robot Add-Ons”
Water Mission to Israel (Day 3): Startup Day in Startup Nation
Tuesday, December 18th, was the midpoint of the Mission agenda and the centerpiece event of the trip. The Massachusetts Delegation hosted the W.E.T. Revolution at Tel Aviv University in the lovely and historic Green House, which was apparently originally built as part of a Palestinian Village, and at various times since has been part of … Continue reading “Water Mission to Israel (Day 3): Startup Day in Startup Nation”
An Xconomy Experiment in Crowdfunding, Colorado Style
Back in 2007, when Bob Buderi tapped out the first news story for the Xconomy Boston website, he wrote, “Ours is a grassroots endeavor, supported by some of the world’s great innovators and business leaders.” Our founding CEO and editor-in-chief took their lessons of entrepreneurship to heart—assembling a team of extraordinarily talented journalists who have … Continue reading “An Xconomy Experiment in Crowdfunding, Colorado Style”
20 Must-Have Apps for That Tablet Under the Tree
It’s time for the third annual version of “iStocking Stuffers,” the holiday apps edition of my weekly column World Wide Wade. The slide show above covers 20 of my favorite apps from 2012, which makes it my longest list yet: the 2010 edition of this guide had just 10 apps, and the 2011 version had 15. … Continue reading “20 Must-Have Apps for That Tablet Under the Tree”
East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Blend, Amicus, Vertex, & More
Christmas came early for a bunch of biotech startups in the form of new funds, while Amicus and Vertex got only coal in their stocking. —- On Tuesday, Avaxia Biologics, based in Lexington, MA, pulled in $6.4 million in a Series B financing, which will help pay for its first clinical trial of AVX-70, a … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Blend, Amicus, Vertex, & More”
PatientsLikeMe Secures $3,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a49aaa34-f061-4e46-a65a-bbc0f24ad921&Preview=1 Date 12/21/2012 Company Name PatientsLikeMe Mailing Address 155 Second Street Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description PatientsLikeMe Inc. is a privately funded for-profit company tasked with making the PatientsLikeMe vision a reality. Our goal is to enable people to share information that can improve the lives of patients diagnosed with life-changing diseases. … Continue reading “PatientsLikeMe Secures $3,000,000 New Financing Round”
MediaFriends, Maker of HeyWire and Bandwagon, Looks to Break Out in 2013
There’s a mobile-tech company in the Boston area that doesn’t get as much attention as it probably should. Maybe because it has too many names: MediaFriends, HeyWire, Bandwagon (and going back further, Integra5). Maybe because it has been quiet about its fundraising ($30 million to date, from investors including Lauder Partners and Benchmark Capital). Or … Continue reading “MediaFriends, Maker of HeyWire and Bandwagon, Looks to Break Out in 2013”
Can (Should?) A Young Biotech Company Still Go Long?
It used to be that every young biotech company’s goal was to “go long,” to become a FIPCO (fully integrated pharmaceutical company…remember when that phrase was in vogue?), selling its own product and running a sustainable business. These days, that’s rarely in anyone’s business plan. And yet at the same time, I’ve heard public market … Continue reading “Can (Should?) A Young Biotech Company Still Go Long?”
Xconomist of the Week: Alexis Borisy Still Likes Early Stage Biotechs
The trending topic among biotech people and the people who fund them these days is that it is almost impossible to scrounge up financing for startups in the earliest stages of drug development. As Xconomy’s Luke Timmermanwrote in July, the amount of money invested in first-round biotech financings fell by 60 percent in the first … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Alexis Borisy Still Likes Early Stage Biotechs”
Timbre Obtains $360,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8afa253d-5f68-4f79-bffd-29df038931dd&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2012 Company Name Timbre Mailing Address 222 3rd Street Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Timbre utilizes iTunes to play sample clips of your bands music. This provides a great way for our users to demo your music and get a better feel for your style, which can increase your fan … Continue reading “Timbre Obtains $360,000 New Financing Round”
Topo Athletic Receives $5,000,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5b4090b6-d087-4b68-9b06-2edbf2301819&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2012 Company Name Topo Athletic Mailing Address Undisclosed Newton, MA 02458 Company Description Topo Athletic is a Newton, MA-based athletic gear maker. Website http://www.topoathletic.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Norwest Venture Partners
Convergent Dental Lands $2,675,004 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f218fda1-f37c-4054-80bd-602ba2a94183&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2012 Company Name Convergent Dental Mailing Address 1 Innovation Drive Worcester, MA 01605 Company Description The company operates as a medical device company. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,675,004 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed
Medrobotics Obtains $33,600,000 Series D Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d30955a0-fcea-4b84-ad95-a3688d234d57&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2012 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 Obtains $33,600,000 Series D Round”
Domain-Rusnano Partnership Invests $93 Million in Three Biotechs
Last March, life sciences venture firm Domain Associates and Russia’s state-owned Rusnano announced that they will jointly invest as much as $760 million in biotech. Today the partnership announced it is putting $93 million of that money into three Domain portfolio companies, bringing to four the number of deals they’ve done so far. Marinus Pharmaceuticals of … Continue reading “Domain-Rusnano Partnership Invests $93 Million in Three Biotechs”
Five Tips for Building a Successful Relationship with the FDA
I recently led an initiative to communicate more proactively and frequently with the leaders of the FDA about issues specifically related to improving the agency’s focus on innovative biomedical and therapeutic technologies. At San Diego’s Biocom, where I am CEO, we believe that both industry and regulators can benefit from an atmosphere of open communication … Continue reading “Five Tips for Building a Successful Relationship with the FDA”
Promedior Joins Ranks of Woman-Helmed Biotechs in Massachusetts
It seems counterintuitive, given that only a handful of life sciences companies of any size have women at the helm, but the biotech startup world is a relatively good place to be a woman. A 2006 survey of New England biotech firms found that 21 percent were founded by women. By comparison, a nationwide study … Continue reading “Promedior Joins Ranks of Woman-Helmed Biotechs in Massachusetts”
Boston News Roundup: Amazon, Akamai, Blend, MC10, & More
There have been plenty of updates from companies big and small across the Boston-area innovation scene in the past week or so. Here’s a rundown of the biggest and best stories for a midweek catch-up: —With news of a sales-tax deal between Amazon and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, the Seattle-based cloud and e-commerce titan said … Continue reading “Boston News Roundup: Amazon, Akamai, Blend, MC10, & More”
The Cloud in Healthcare Post-Election
At the Dec. 10 Xconomy forum on Healthcare in Transition, I participated in a panel discussion on post-election themes in the business of healthcare from the perspective of a cloud-based healthcare IT company. There was, naturally, difference of opinions among the group on government’s role in facilitating healthcare IT innovation, but there was also some … Continue reading “The Cloud in Healthcare Post-Election”