Category: Boston

Abbott’s Humira, the 3rd-in-Class Drug That Toppled Lipitor as No. 1

Sometimes the biggest success stories in business never make it to the magazine covers. There’s no single Eureka moment, no surprise turning point, no redemption, no swashbuckling CEO delivering the goods. There’s just a team pursuing genius like Edison once said: through 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. Dull as it may sound, there … Continue reading “Abbott’s Humira, the 3rd-in-Class Drug That Toppled Lipitor as No. 1”

Buildium, Boosted by Real Estate Bust, Sees a Big Mobile Future

[Corrected 4/16/12 10:30 am. See below.]It’s not often that you hear an entrepreneur say his business grew through the real estate crash and economic downturn. But that’s indeed the case with Buildium, a Boston-based, maker of online software enabling landlords and small property managers to track rent payments, receive maintenance requests from tenants, manage leases, … Continue reading “Buildium, Boosted by Real Estate Bust, Sees a Big Mobile Future”

Harvest Power Obtains $1,999,999 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bf005f73-81ed-451c-996e-16fb05a5e3c1&Preview=1 Date 4/16/2012 Company Name Harvest Power Mailing Address 221 Crescent St Waltham, MA 02453 Company Description Harvest’s superpowered products and capabilities give us the opportunity to create a new life-cycle for organics. We assist communities with source separation programs, build renewable energy facilities and utilize our best-in-class technologies to produce high-quality … Continue reading “Harvest Power Obtains $1,999,999 New Financing”

CoolChip Technologies Obtains $500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1106d706-cde7-45f7-9976-9255280b087d&Preview=1 Date 4/16/2012 Company Name CoolChip Technologies Mailing Address 6 Highland Avenue Somerville, MA 02143 Company Description A rising need for low-cost, high-performance electronics cooling has given rise to commercial opportunities for technology innovations. At CoolChip Technologies, the opportunities sparked a vision of breaking down the thermal brick wall to enable stakeholders … Continue reading “CoolChip Technologies Obtains $500,000 New Funding”

Leaf Receives $1,000,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1951feb2-43d4-40e2-9dde-b8181d5aea0c&Preview=1 Date 4/16/2012 Company Name Leaf Mailing Address 1 Broadway 14th Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Leaf, a Cambridge-based startup, is aiming to make the experience of paying in a shop more modern with paperless receipts for customers and transaction data in the cloud for merchants. Website http://www.leaf.me Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Leaf Receives $1,000,000 Seed Financing Round”

Ava Secures $3,690,892 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=af4a1161-c8c1-4edd-b47a-d038e43e7060&Preview=1 Date 4/16/2012 Company Name Ava Mailing Address 222 Third Street Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description The Nara.com website states that Nara is starting with restaurant recommendations and will make the Web more personal. Website http://www.nara.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,690,892 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not … Continue reading “Ava Secures $3,690,892 New Financing Round”

Humedica Obtains $10,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f1b4a536-1547-48e9-abe0-38d21da800d6&Preview=1 Date 4/16/2012 Company Name Humedica Mailing Address 1380 Soldiers Field Rd. Boston, MA 02135 Company Description Humedica is a next-generation health care informatics company that provides novel SaaS-based clinical business intelligence solutions. We connect patient information across varied medical settings and time periods to generate a truly longitudinal and comprehensive view … Continue reading “Humedica Obtains $10,000,000 New Funding Round”

Kullect Reinvents Blogging for the Smartphone Era

Blogs are coming up on their 15th birthday—the term “weblog” was coined in December 1997, according to Wired (though it wasn’t shortened to “blog” until 1999). What’s interesting is how little the form has changed in that time. A typical blog is still just a collection of text-based essays or articles and comments written on … Continue reading “Kullect Reinvents Blogging for the Smartphone Era”

Boston and Cambridge Renew Rivalry in Startup Real Estate

The real estate market for companies can be a tragically boring topic—unless you’re a startup looking for office space. There has been a lot of talk this week about rising rents in Kendall Square as compared to Boston’s Innovation District or South End, say, and some related issues (see below). All the better to fan … Continue reading “Boston and Cambridge Renew Rivalry in Startup Real Estate”

XSITE 2012: The Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship

You can feel it in the air: economic recovery. XSITE 2012 is all about exploring ways to fuel the momentum and hit the gas pedal on growth. What are the most successful strategies for launching, investing in, and managing new ventures in today’s climate, and how can established companies capitalize on it as well? Which … Continue reading “XSITE 2012: The Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship”

Pervasis, Flagship, SeventhSense, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers

We saw some investments this week in New England regenerative medicine, diagnostics, and medical devices companies. —Cambridge, MA-based Flagship Ventures formed a new partnership with Merck Research Ventures Fund to find and finance companies developing drugs for unmet medical needs. The $250 million Merck fund was established last fall and has so far made four … Continue reading “Pervasis, Flagship, SeventhSense, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers”

NuoDB Obtains $10,000,002 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3f0ad577-2760-43ca-8119-59276cec2eaf&Preview=1 Date 4/13/2012 Company Name NuoDB Mailing Address 18 Hurley Street Cambridge, MA 02141 Company Description NuoDB is a NewSQL database. It looks and behaves like a traditional SQL database from the outside but under the covers it’s a revolutionary database solution. It is a new class of database for a new … Continue reading “NuoDB Obtains $10,000,002 New Funding Round”

CyVek Obtains $2,999,999 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e2c1bd83-1860-41c9-9455-c0264ea70595&Preview=1 Date 4/13/2012 Company Name CyVek Mailing Address 50 Barnes Park Rd N Wallingford, CT 06492 Company Description The objective of the CyVek technology is to provide a robust platform for multiplexed proteomics, particularly to serve the market needs of biomarker validation. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,999,999 Transaction … Continue reading “CyVek Obtains $2,999,999 New Financing Round”

TipTap Obtains $1,500,001 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d7e14f6d-2bd7-4239-9c9c-ee696d1dccc5&Preview=1 Date 4/13/2012 Company Name TipTap Mailing Address 222 3rd St. Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description TipTap personalizes your buying experience by getting to know you and then matching your buying questions to the right people. Website http://www.tiptap.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,500,001 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes … Continue reading “TipTap Obtains $1,500,001 New Funding Round”

Xconomist of the Week: Jason Baptiste and the Ultralight Startup

Where did this guy find the time to write a book? Never mind that. Jason Baptiste is on the prowl again. The co-founder and CEO of New York-based Onswipe, a tablet-based media and advertising startup, has just released his new book, The Ultralight Startup (Portfolio Penguin, 2012). It’s a how-to-entrepreneur guide with lots of details … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Jason Baptiste and the Ultralight Startup”

Harvest Power, With $100M+ in Revenue, Raises $110M in Tough Cleantech Market

There’s something different about Harvest Power. While other cleantech companies have struggled mightily, the Waltham, MA-based waste-to-energy-and-soil firm keeps chugging along and growing. Today the company says it has raised $110 million in Series C funding, led by True North Venture Partners and American Refining and Biochemical. Previous investors also chipped in, including Kleiner Perkins … Continue reading “Harvest Power, With $100M+ in Revenue, Raises $110M in Tough Cleantech Market”

GrabCAD Hosts Estonian President, Who Happens to Be Cyber Security Expert

The first sign that this was not a regular day was the State Police detail in the parking lot of the American Twine building near Kendall Square. Then, in the hallways, a group of secret-service types watching every door, and at least one person in a military uniform. They weren’t there to see Stavros, the … Continue reading “GrabCAD Hosts Estonian President, Who Happens to Be Cyber Security Expert”

Why There’s No Such Thing as An Overnight Exit Strategy

It’s highly unlikely that you’re going to wake up one morning, hear a knock on your door, and open it to find an acquisition partner with a briefcase full of cash ready to buy your business. The reality is that successful exits—whether through an IPO, a buyout, a strategic acquisition, or a merger—take years of … Continue reading “Why There’s No Such Thing as An Overnight Exit Strategy”

JB Therapeutics Garners $662,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=df294c0e-4c7f-4f78-b356-07cc4ddd36ba&Preview=1 Date 4/12/2012 Company Name JB Therapeutics Mailing Address 508 Dudley Road Newton Center, MA 02459 Company Description JB Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing the first new class of analgesic agents in two decades. Our lead compound, JBT-101, is a potent CB1 and CB2 agonist with demonstrated efficacy … Continue reading “JB Therapeutics Garners $662,000 New Financing Round”

Nuclea Biotechnologies Receives $1,931,700 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2eac3be9-eb26-497b-9cc4-39d45dac1e84&Preview=1 Date 4/12/2012 Company Name Nuclea Biotechnologies Mailing Address 105 South Street Pittsfield, MA 01201 Company Description Nuclea Biotechnologies’ primary mission is to conduct genomic research in the oncology field so as to discover biomarkers and gene or protein expression profiles that are unique to oncologic diseases. Website http://www.nucleabiomarkers.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Nuclea Biotechnologies Receives $1,931,700 New Financing”

Harvest Power Receives $110,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4e6b6288-170c-4171-987c-687b174bf173&Preview=1 Date 4/12/2012 Company Name Harvest Power Mailing Address 221 Crescent St Waltham, MA 02453 Company Description Harvest’s superpowered products and capabilities give us the opportunity to create a new life-cycle for organics. We assist communities with source separation programs, build renewable energy facilities and utilize our best-in-class technologies to produce high-quality … Continue reading “Harvest Power Receives $110,000,000 New Financing”

TalkTo Secures $3,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a14c59de-9717-41cc-b504-edcbc44f0f53&Preview=1 Date 4/12/2012 Company Name TalkTo Mailing Address 101 Main Street 17th Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description We’re TalkTo, and we’re making it possible to text any business as easily as you text a friend. Website http://www.talkto.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes The … Continue reading “TalkTo Secures $3,000,000 Series A Round”

Veracode Lands $30,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=29e1c33e-8abd-48c5-b1a7-6bbbc85c2aa7&Preview=1 Date 4/12/2012 Company Name Veracode Mailing Address 4 Van de Graaff Drive Burlington, MA 01803 Company Description Veracode is the industry’s first provider of automated, on-demand application security solutions. Created by a world-class team of application security experts from @stake, Guardent, ISS, VeriSign and Symantec, the company delivers services to identify … Continue reading “Veracode Lands $30,000,000 New Round”

CommonAngels, NEVCA Pledge 50 Startup Tickets for XSITE on June 14

We’re still two months out from our full-day flagship forum XSITE, the Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, but CommonAngels and the New England Venture Capital Association have already pledged to buy 50 tickets together—25 each—for startups looking to attend the June 14 conference. “We are thrilled to be able to support entrepreneurs in … Continue reading “CommonAngels, NEVCA Pledge 50 Startup Tickets for XSITE on June 14”

Springpad Upgrades Digital Notebooks for Sharing, Discovery, and Persistence

If you’re interested in the growth of consumer Web companies in the Boston area, you should know the team at Spring Partners. And if you have deeper questions about how the Web will evolve beyond search and social, well, you should really check out what they’re building. Charlestown, MA-based Spring Partners is announcing version 3.0 … Continue reading “Springpad Upgrades Digital Notebooks for Sharing, Discovery, and Persistence”

BioPharma Needs A Safe, Reliable Way To Repair Broken Genes

The sequencing of the human genome didn’t immediately lead to treatments for a number of diseases, as many had hoped and a smaller number had predicted. However, the enormous drop in the price of DNA sequencing over the past decade has now made it possible to sequence an individual’s complete genome for less than $5,000. … Continue reading “BioPharma Needs A Safe, Reliable Way To Repair Broken Genes”

AisleBuyer, Crashlytics, Cymfony, & More Boston Dealmakers

The world is atwitter over the big Facebook-Instagram acquisition, but Boston companies have been proving their muster with deals of their own this week. —Cambridge, MA-based mobile gaming startup The Tap Lab said it has brought in $550,000 in funding from a crop of angel investors that includes Harmonix founders Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy,  former … Continue reading “AisleBuyer, Crashlytics, Cymfony, & More Boston Dealmakers”

VoltDB Obtains $5,590,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0eda4560-875a-42e5-85fe-4d26af3bd2c4&Preview=1 Date 4/11/2012 Company Name VoltDB Mailing Address 6 Fortune Drive Billerica, MA 01821 Company Description VoltDB is solving the problem of database scalability for applications with fast-growing transaction (OLTP) workloads such as those found in Web 2.0, financial trading, gaming, telecommunications and software as a service (SaaS) businesses. Website http://voltdb.com Transaction … Continue reading “VoltDB Obtains $5,590,000 New Funding”

Sionyx Secures $6,882,639 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=37c2b0b1-9352-4cbc-b2ce-f1277e6a266d&Preview=1 Date 4/11/2012 Company Name Sionyx Mailing Address Cummings Center 100 Beverly, MA 01915 Company Description SiOnyx is excited to be building a team of industry leading scientists and engineers focused on revolutionizing the field of photonics. Website http://www.sionyxinc.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,882,639 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Sionyx Secures $6,882,639 New Financing Round”

Crashlytics, With $5M in New VC Bucks, Goes After Huge Mobile Developer Market

Crashlytics has a cool name. It’s run by cool guys. It’s all a little too cool. The truth is, the Cambridge, MA-based startup is solving a really hard technical problem: helping developers fix mobile apps when they crash by pinpointing the line of code (and use case) where the main issue occurred. And as you’ll … Continue reading “Crashlytics, With $5M in New VC Bucks, Goes After Huge Mobile Developer Market”

Passion, Casual-ness, & Money: Themes from MIT’s Business in Gaming

If you saw some odd costumes wandering the streets of Boston this past weekend, chances are they were en route to a games-related event (I’m talking about you, Anime aficionados). The one I attended, MIT’s Business in Gaming conference, contained more suit-clad attendees than outlandish hairdos and capes (thank goodness). The event draws investors, entrepreneurs, … Continue reading “Passion, Casual-ness, & Money: Themes from MIT’s Business in Gaming”

Merck Teams With Flagship to Bankroll Early Biotech Ventures

Cambridge, MA-based Flagship Ventures said today it has formed a partnership with Merck Research Ventures Fund—the $250 million fund the Whitehouse Station, NJ-based drug giant set up last year to foster biotech startups. The two companies will collaborate to find and back new companies that are developing drugs to address unmet medical needs. As part … Continue reading “Merck Teams With Flagship to Bankroll Early Biotech Ventures”

From Internet Plumbing to Tweeting With Zappos: The Dyn Story

If the Internet needs a plumber, Jeremy Hitchcock is your man. It’s not sexy, it’s not glamorous, but as they say, someone’s got to do it. And if that someone does it right, well, he can build a very profitable, 150-person company right here in the great Northeast. That company would be Dyn (pronounced “dine”), … Continue reading “From Internet Plumbing to Tweeting With Zappos: The Dyn Story”

Courion Garners $280,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e6ada41e-5ae0-484c-b129-9a2df9d47f94&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2012 Company Name Courion Mailing Address 1881 Worcester Road Framingham, MA 01701-5409 Company Description Courion Corporation provides award-winning self-service identity management solutions in Identity Management Suite. manual processes for user provisioning, password management, industry and regulatory compliance, profile management and digital certificate management. Website http://www.courion.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Courion Garners $280,000 New Round”

Radial Network Receives $3,365,522 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6772c138-234e-4088-a515-adaa48bb658c&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2012 Company Name Radial Network Mailing Address 780 East Main Street Branford, CT 06405 Company Description Radial Networks provides ways for advertisers looking to place advertisements within IGA’s publisher network. The company supports various ad formats that can be placed within games. Ads are served dynamically and can be targeted … Continue reading “Radial Network Receives $3,365,522 New Financing Round”

Intuit Acquires AisleBuyer for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cc01bdb8-2834-41a7-a149-71fae71e1e67&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2012 Company Name AisleBuyer Mailing Address 321 Summer St 8th Floor Boston, MA 02210 Company Description Their platform, which includes a virtual shopping assistant, location aware digital circular, and patent-pending, mobile self-checkout system provides retailers with an end-to-end solution designed to increase sales, reduce costs, and offer unprecedented analytical insight … Continue reading “Intuit Acquires AisleBuyer for Undisclosed Sum”

Crashlytics Lands $5,000,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bbe37d1b-8d1e-4686-91f2-7bd4dc0c74a4&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2012 Company Name Crashlytics Mailing Address 719 Boylsto Street Boston, MA 02116 Company Description On its minimal website, Crashlytics states it is developing an amazingly simple way to locate and fix crashes in your apps (and more). Website http://www.crashlytics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,000 Transaction Round Series A … Continue reading “Crashlytics Lands $5,000,000 Series A Funding Round”

Seventh Sense Biosystems Garners $750,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=039cf55b-683b-4ad9-8366-b1b409b66361&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2012 Company Name Seventh Sense Biosystems Mailing Address 286 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue Cambridge, MA 02141 Company Description Seventh Sense Biosystems Inc is a medical device startup company. Website http://www.7sbio.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $750,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms … Continue reading “Seventh Sense Biosystems Garners $750,000 New Financing”

Four Xconomists in the News this Weekend, Including Two XSITE Keynoters

It was a busy weekend in tech coverage, despite the holiday. Among other things, four Xconomists were in the news, making headlines, announcing key moves, or as part of national articles—three of them in the New York Times. Here is a quick pointer: –Stephen Wolfram was the focus of a New York Times article about … Continue reading “Four Xconomists in the News this Weekend, Including Two XSITE Keynoters”

Microsoft Research’s Jennifer Chayes: 5 Projects for the Future of Computing

When people talk about the future of technology, they tend to mention the same big players (what I might call the four horsemen of the consumer apocalypse): Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google. And if they want to get more cutting-edge, maybe they’ll throw in a viral newcomer or two like Dropbox or Pinterest. Who they … Continue reading “Microsoft Research’s Jennifer Chayes: 5 Projects for the Future of Computing”

Investing in Biotech Isn’t Just for Investors Anymore

There hasn’t been much to crow about for years in the world of biotech financing. There’s no getting around the fact that new drugs still take a long time and a lot of money to develop, and they usually fail. It doesn’t fly in an instant-gratification economy, where people take extraordinary technical achievements—like, say, streaming … Continue reading “Investing in Biotech Isn’t Just for Investors Anymore”

New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars: An Xconomy Forum In Pictures

Hollywood may be famous for its movie stars, but the Boston area has its own crop of celebrities… in biotech, that is. We showcased which companies and entrepreneurs are the ones to watch this past Wednesday at our Xconomy Forum: New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars. Biogen Idec was a gracious event host—and provided some insightful … Continue reading “New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars: An Xconomy Forum In Pictures”

GNS Healthcare Lands $5,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b508b389-0b84-4631-a9da-5c9e1f42edb8&Preview=1 Date 4/9/2012 Company Name GNS Healthcare Mailing Address 58 Charles St Cambridge, MA 02141 Company Description GNS Healthcare is a healthcare analytics company, founded in 2000 and based in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA. We focus on advancing and applying industrial-scale data analytics to empower key healthcare stakeholders to solve complex care, … Continue reading “GNS Healthcare Lands $5,000,000 New Financing”

Next Step Living Obtains $1,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=33fca45b-b62c-45fe-a0b3-7fe984a9fe8b&Preview=1 Date 4/9/2012 Company Name Next Step Living Mailing Address Undisclosed Boston, MA 02140 Company Description Next Step Living is a residential energy efficiency company, providing home energy diagnostics and improvements to the greater New England area. We are a socially-conscious, environmentally focused, results-driven organization dedicated to helping our customers lower their … Continue reading “Next Step Living Obtains $1,000,000 New Funding Round”

Visible Technologies Acquires Cymfony for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=743582a5-5a75-46eb-8ef4-0ab1c6d905b2&Preview=1 Date 4/9/2012 Company Name Cymfony Mailing Address 501 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116 Company Description Cymfony is an award-winning media measurement, market research and business intelligence company providing software and services to leading corporations throughout the world. Website http://www.cymfony.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms … Continue reading “Visible Technologies Acquires Cymfony for Undisclosed Sum”

Cymfony Snapped Up by Visible Technologies in Social Analytics

Some consolidation in the field of social media analytics and monitoring today. Boston-based Cymfony is being acquired by Visible Technologies, a Bellevue, WA-based company, for an undisclosed sum. Terms of the deal weren’t given, but communications firm WPP Group, which owns about 24 percent of Visible and all of Cymfony, will own 49 percent of … Continue reading “Cymfony Snapped Up by Visible Technologies in Social Analytics”

Notepaper App Showdown: Bamboo, FiftyThree, and Noteshelf

Most geeks like me suffer from a condition called Amazing New Tech Syndrome. The chief symptom of ANTS is a happy delirium over the latest gadget you’ve acquired, followed by resentful disillusionment toward that same gadget as soon as a newer one comes out. You can only assuage the resentment by buying the new gadget, … Continue reading “Notepaper App Showdown: Bamboo, FiftyThree, and Noteshelf”

Apple and the Cloud: A Cautionary Tale

The consumer’s electronic world as we know it today is shared between Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and a handful of other popular brands. Most offerings must ride on these platforms and play by their rules. Yet I believe our current interest in—and use of—this ecosystem will peak in 3-6 years, and what awaits each of … Continue reading “Apple and the Cloud: A Cautionary Tale”