Presage Looks to Help Millennium Pick Cancer Drug Winners Early

Seattle-based Presage Biosciences, a spinoff from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is looking to help cancer drugmakers separate the winning compounds from the losers early in development, and now it’s found a major partner to put this idea to the test. Cambridge, MA-based Millennium, a unit of Takeda Pharmaceuticals, said today it has struck … Continue reading “Presage Looks to Help Millennium Pick Cancer Drug Winners Early”

Adimab, ImmunoGen, OvaScience, & More Boston Life Sciences News

Funding for drug development and a diagnostics firms dominated the deals news. —A souped up breast cancer drug from Genentech and Waltham, MA-based ImmunoGen called T-DM1 passed its biggest clinical trial yet, by keeping tumors from spreading for a significantly longer time than the drugs in a control group. Immunogen supplied the technology that links a toxin … Continue reading “Adimab, ImmunoGen, OvaScience, & More Boston Life Sciences News”

Clean Runner Secures $19,600,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9b87947d-4ef3-4f96-8a20-7e11e484ac76&Preview=1 Date 4/6/2012 Company Name Clean Runner Mailing Address One Cate Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 Company Description At Clean Runner we configure each application specifically to your requirements to solve your on-going water reclamation needs. We stand behind our equipment, process, and operational expertise. Website http://www.cleanrunner.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Clean Runner Secures $19,600,000 New Financing”

Innovation in Startup Business Models

In our industry, it’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to become so mono-focused on the novelty of product innovation that they forget to innovate equally around their business model. In my estimation, a disruptive business model is at least as important as disruptive technology. As an investor, the perfect scenario for me is a disruptive technology … Continue reading “Innovation in Startup Business Models”

Boundless Learning, $8M in Tow, Raises Ire of Textbook Publishers

A Boston-based edtech startup is getting an education of its own: if you mess with an entrenched industry, the major players are going to mess with you. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The startup just might have the resources and wherewithal to fight back. Boundless Learning, which serves up free, open educational content … Continue reading “Boundless Learning, $8M in Tow, Raises Ire of Textbook Publishers”

Xconomist of the Week: Roger Ehrenberg Plans for Deeper Investments

Innovative use of data will change our world when you peer through the lens of Roger Ehrenberg, founder and managing partner of two-year-old IA Ventures in New York. From financial services to education and beyond, he sees opportunities to mine, harvest, cleanse, and analyze data in competitive ways. Armed with a $105 million fund that … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Roger Ehrenberg Plans for Deeper Investments”

Onco Tree DTS Garners $750,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c44f8c75-d852-4d9c-b74d-8eae3b39baee&Preview=1 Date 4/5/2012 Company Name Onco Tree DTS Mailing Address 16 Lantern Road Framingham, MA 01702 Company Description You have arrived at the pre-opening of OncoTree Discovery & Translation Services, Inc., a new life sciences company bringing vascular informatics to oncology research, drug discovery and translational development. Website http://www.oncotreedts.com Transaction Type Debt … Continue reading “Onco Tree DTS Garners $750,000 New Funding Round”

Boundless Learning Receives $8,000,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f76d161f-ac9d-4309-bfb9-f326acf78a3d&Preview=1 Date 4/5/2012 Company Name Boundless Learning Mailing Address 529 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02215 Company Description The company is developing an e- learning platform. Website http://www.boundlesslearning.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $8,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes The company is expecting to start opening up some features to the … Continue reading “Boundless Learning Receives $8,000,000 Series A Funding”

2nd World PGX Summit

This event has been put together by genomics and biomarker specialists from pharma giants like Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, Johnson & Johnson, and Eli Lilly. The panels and speakers aim to help biotech attendees better understand how to incorporate molecular profiling into drug development. Register here.

See You Today at New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars***SOLD OUT***

We’re about to get going on this afternoon’s Xconomy Forum: New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars. But you still have a few hours to get your tickets. We have 8 left as of early this morning, which you can grab by clicking here. We have a stellar lineup of speakers planned, including Biogen Idec CEO George … Continue reading “See You Today at New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars***SOLD OUT***”

OvaScience Adds $37M for Fertility Treatments

Boston-based OvaScience announced today that it has raised $37 million in a Series B financing, the proceeds of which it will pour into the development of infertility treatments based on stem cell science. The funding round was led by General Catalyst, with participation from BBT Capital Management Advisors, Cycad Group, Hunt BioVentures, RA Capital and … Continue reading “OvaScience Adds $37M for Fertility Treatments”

Boston Startups Join New NY Incubator With Women, Mobile Niche

A New York startup incubator program is underway with a new class, and before you call me Captain Obvious, let me say I’m not talking about TechStars. This particular program may be navigating its way through the oft-reported incubator bubble with a very specific niche that should be obvious in its name: Women Innovate Mobile. … Continue reading “Boston Startups Join New NY Incubator With Women, Mobile Niche”

OvaScience Lands $37,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=eabfd0c9-1c20-4a95-9cc8-4fc56eaf4d63&Preview=1 Date 4/4/2012 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 Lands $37,000,000 Series B Financing”

The Tap Lab, Backed by Harmonix Trio, Pushes Mobile Gaming Into Real World

You can’t box in Dave Bisceglia. Just when you think you know what location-based games are, or what mobile check-ins are, he goes and tries to upend the whole sector. Bisceglia and his fellow co-founder Ralph Shao (see photo, right) don’t know any better. They’re a couple of young guns—recent grads of Boston University and … Continue reading “The Tap Lab, Backed by Harmonix Trio, Pushes Mobile Gaming Into Real World”

Hard-Nosed Hedge Fund Chief Has Soft Spot for Rare-Disease Startup

On March 19, Martin Shkreli posted an article on the investing blog Seeking Alpha urging readers to “short” shares of San Diego-based Cytori (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CYTX]])—essentially telling them they should bet that the company would falter and its share price would drop. Cytori is developing so-called regenerative treatments, using stem cells from fat, for example, to … Continue reading “Hard-Nosed Hedge Fund Chief Has Soft Spot for Rare-Disease Startup”

Boston Deals: Funding for FRX, Allocure, Good Start, & FirstBest

[Updated 4/4/12 at 10:05 am. See below.] New England saw a wave of Series B financings for innovative software, materials, and life sciences companies early this week. —FRX Polymers expanded the $15.7 million Series B financing it closed last summer to $26.7 million, with a new tranche led by DB Masdar Fund and  BASF Venture … Continue reading “Boston Deals: Funding for FRX, Allocure, Good Start, & FirstBest”

Privy Puts New Spin on Old Marketing Problem for Local Businesses

Daily deals are dead. Long live daily deals. But out of the ashes of all the Groupon clones—and a few niche deals sites notwithstanding—who will rise up and actually solve the online marketing problem for small businesses? “That’s our goal,” says Ben Jabbawy, the founder and CEO of Boston-based Privy (and formerly with GreatPoint Ventures … Continue reading “Privy Puts New Spin on Old Marketing Problem for Local Businesses”

Oxford Networks Receives $4,800,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f269acae-6ea0-40ac-bd42-4b8bb64af56d&Preview=1 Date 4/3/2012 Company Name Oxford Networks Mailing Address 491 Lisbon St Lewiston, ME 04240 Company Description Oxford Networks is a Maine based technology company providing phone, Internet and data services to businesses and residents across the State of Maine and beyond. Website http://www.oxfordnetworks.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,800,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Oxford Networks Receives $4,800,000 New Funding”

FirstBest Systems Lands $10,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ea2fa7d6-b5f7-4ea4-ac34-ec7aa791c32c&Preview=1 Date 4/3/2012 Company Name FirstBest Systems Mailing Address 213 Burlington Rd. Bedford, MA 01730 Company Description Founded in 2006, FirstBest Systems, Inc. is a software and services company providing advanced Underwriting Management Systems (UMS) to commercial insurance carriers. Website http://www.firstbest.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “FirstBest Systems Lands $10,000,000 New Financing Round”

Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of Q1: Editor’s Picks

The first quarter of 2012 is in the books, and it looks like Boston is settling into some typical spring weather. Time to look back on our editor’s picks for top stories of Q1. As usual, these are not necessarily the highest-traffic stories, though in some cases they are. They are the stories that exemplify … Continue reading “Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of Q1: Editor’s Picks”

Biotech Can’t Sidestep Cost-Effectiveness Anymore

Back in the old days of biotech, the business was pretty straightforward. You’d craft your scientific idea, aim a new drug at patients in need, charm investors to give you some money, run bang-up clinical trials, win FDA approval. Do all that, and you’re good as gold. Charge insurers whatever the market will bear, and … Continue reading “Biotech Can’t Sidestep Cost-Effectiveness Anymore”

Good Start Genetics Secures $14,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1f8eb541-0a84-488f-8c6a-39433161505f&Preview=1 Date 4/2/2012 Company Name Good Start Genetics Mailing Address 237 Putnam Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Good Start Genetics’ advanced DNA sequencing technology is designed to deliver a higher detection rate and improved clinical performance compared to currently available screening methods. Website http://www.goodstartgenetics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $14,000,000 … Continue reading “Good Start Genetics Secures $14,000,000 Series B Financing”

FRX Polymers Lands $11,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=609fe068-74c0-4148-960c-ea0d9077a278&Preview=1 Date 4/2/2012 Company Name FRX Polymers Mailing Address 200 Turnpike Road Chelmsford, MA 01824 Company Description Welcome to FRX Polymers (FRX), the clear choice for Flame Retardancy. Our polymers are fully transparent, high flowing and due to their high phosphorus content, are inherently non-burning. FRX Polymers is developing Homopolymers and Copolymers … Continue reading “FRX Polymers Lands $11,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

AlloCure Secures $25,000,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3231c331-a1d8-4fd5-8427-eacd54997726&Preview=1 Date 4/2/2012 Company Name AlloCure Mailing Address 25 Corporate Dr. Burlington, MA 01803 Company Description Allocure is poised to be the first company to develop viable cell therapies for the effective treatment of many serious and debilitating medical conditions. AlloCure’s cell therapies represent a novel and proprietary class of biological therapeutics … Continue reading “AlloCure Secures $25,000,000 Series B Funding Round”

Adimab Obtains Series F Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1c6cd9d9-e631-451f-b2ac-58f111ff0279&Preview=1 Date 4/2/2012 Company Name Adimab Mailing Address 16 Cavendish Court Lebanon, NH 03766 Company Description Adimab–which stands for Antibody Discovery Maturation Biomanufacturing–is developing a platform that’s deliberately engineered to minimize and potentially eliminate third party royalties, offering a one-stop-service-shop to a select few Big Pharma partners. Website http://www.adimab.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Adimab Obtains Series F Round”

Xconomist of the Week: Andy Ory on the Real Opportunity for Acme Packet

Acme Packet is not the easiest technology company to write about. If you’re not careful, you end up bogging down in things like SIP trunking, IMS deployments, session delivery solutions, and other Internet Protocol networking lingo. Fortunately, Acme Packet’s co-founder and CEO, Andy Ory, makes things easy. Ory has led the Bedford, MA-based company (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Andy Ory on the Real Opportunity for Acme Packet”

Genentech, ImmunoGen ‘Smart Bomb’ for Breast Cancer Clears Big Hurdle

Genentech has been saying for years that it has confidence in a supercharged version of its hit breast cancer drug, and today it cleared a major hurdle on the way to making it a reality. The South San Francisco-based company, a unit of Roche, said today that trastuzumab emtansince (T-DM1) passed its biggest clinical trial … Continue reading “Genentech, ImmunoGen ‘Smart Bomb’ for Breast Cancer Clears Big Hurdle”

Steve Blank Hands A New Owner’s Manual to Startup Founders

If you look closely at the cover of Steve Blank’s new book, The Startup Owner’s Manual, you’ll see that it shows an exploded view of the transmission from an automobile engine. Leonardo da Vinci invented the exploded view more than 500 years ago, and it has stayed with us as a visualization tool, because it’s … Continue reading “Steve Blank Hands A New Owner’s Manual to Startup Founders”

Boston FIRST Robotics 2012: Rebound Rumble in Pictures

March usually brings droves of cheering fans to big arenas for basketball games, so the scene at Boston University’s Agganis Arena last Saturday seems fitting for the season. Except it was squat robots, not tall athletes, that were shooting hoops. The event was the Boston edition of FIRST Robotics, a worldwide robotics building competition for … Continue reading “Boston FIRST Robotics 2012: Rebound Rumble in Pictures”

Kibits Secures $1,000,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2d7b802e-735a-49a4-a126-7a08cd806058&Preview=1 Date 3/30/2012 Company Name Kibits Mailing Address One Cambridge Center Sixth Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description We’re the makers of Kibits, a micro-social networking app. Kibits lets people create and connect with groups on-the-fly by leveraging unambiguous real-world relationships, such as existing contacts and Facebook friends, calendar appointments, and physical … Continue reading “Kibits Secures $1,000,000 Seed Funding Round”

Announcing XSITE June 14: Evernote, Uber, Zaarly, IBM’s Watson, & More

Innovators, start your engines. The economy is ramping up, and so is the innovation scene here in Boston and across the U.S. For the past three years—starting with the theme “The Recovery Starts Here” when the economy was still in the tanks back in mid-2009—Xconomy has held a full-day event each June called XSITE, the … Continue reading “Announcing XSITE June 14: Evernote, Uber, Zaarly, IBM’s Watson, & More”

Kibits Cuts Through the Chatter with New Micro-Social Network App

Please, Lord, not another social-networking app that helps you connect with 500 more people you don’t actually want to talk to. Or that adds yet more information overload to your life. OK, since it’s Matt Cutler and Dave Greenstein, the former NetGenesis guys, let’s take a closer look. Their free mobile app is called Kibits, … Continue reading “Kibits Cuts Through the Chatter with New Micro-Social Network App”

Third Rock’s Mark Levin: ‘Ultra-Super Positive’ on Biotech Innovation

Mark Levin co-founded Boston’s Third Rock Ventures in 2007 with the goal of funding life sciences discoveries through the Valley of Death—when early-stage startups are no longer eligible for federal grants but they haven’t progressed enough to attract the attention of VCs. Third Rock has launched and incubated eight startups, including Foundation Medicine, Warp Drive … Continue reading “Third Rock’s Mark Levin: ‘Ultra-Super Positive’ on Biotech Innovation”

Alcyone Lifesciences Secures $1,800,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=59a019c2-8d2a-4a3e-869c-6fc701149977&Preview=1 Date 3/29/2012 Company Name Alcyone Lifesciences Mailing Address 75 Sandy Pond Road Ayer, MA 01432 Company Description Alcyone Lifesciences is focused on developing products for treatment of difficult neuropathological conditions. Website http://www.alcyonels.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,800,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A … Continue reading “Alcyone Lifesciences Secures $1,800,000 Series A Round”

Xtelligent Media Lands $800,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e4cee8fa-b9ee-483b-b0b3-9c8b5ea976de&Preview=1 Date 3/29/2012 Company Name Xtelligent Media Mailing Address 1001 Worcester Rd Floor 2 Framingham, MA 01701 Company Description Xtelligent Media, LLC is an online media company focused on information technology in the healthcare industry. Our series of microsites seek to educate and provide news and intelligence to CIOs, HIM Directors, CFOs … Continue reading “Xtelligent Media Lands $800,000 New Financing”

Sermo Taps Revolution Health Veteran Tim Davenport as CEO

Sermo, the Cambridge, MA-based provider of an online community of physicians, announced today that it has hired Tim Davenport as its new CEO. Davenport is the former president of Revolution Health, the consumer health website launched by AOL founder Steve Case and later merged with Everyday Health. Davenport also has experience as former CEO of … Continue reading “Sermo Taps Revolution Health Veteran Tim Davenport as CEO”

DynaTrace, Expanding Within Compuware, Looks to Drive Growth for a Giant

When a big tech company acquires a smaller one, there is some bloodletting to be expected—and the smaller company’s products often will get marginalized, if not axed completely. Not so for Waltham, MA-based dynaTrace Software, which is now part of Detroit software giant Compuware (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CPWR]]). Since the $256 million acquisition last July, Compuware has … Continue reading “DynaTrace, Expanding Within Compuware, Looks to Drive Growth for a Giant”

Boston’s Deal News: Tracelytics, Tesaro, & A New Innovation Center

This week’s New England dealmakers included a venture capital firm, an e-commerce site, a biotech startup, software makers, and even the city of Boston. —Boston-based OpenView Venture Partners announced it had closed $200 million for its third investment fund, after three months of courting its limited partners. —Shoptiques, a New York-based fashion tech company whose … Continue reading “Boston’s Deal News: Tracelytics, Tesaro, & A New Innovation Center”

Padmatcher Obtains $76,937 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ffeccf98-0bb3-46fe-bb2b-2e24a0d647a7&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2012 Company Name Padmatcher Mailing Address 580 Harrison Avenue Boston, MA 02118 Company Description The company is an online service that is looking to change the apartment rental market. Website http://www.padmatcher.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $76,937 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms … Continue reading “Padmatcher Obtains $76,937 New Round”

LiveWire Mobile Lands $500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=90465def-8a26-4608-8e08-583cd972a838&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2012 Company Name LiveWire Mobile Mailing Address One Monarch Drive Littleton, MA 01460 Company Description LiveWire Mobile, a division of NMS Communications, is redefining mobile personalization with a suite of caller, message and subscriber services designed to empower your customers and fuel the success of your business. Our breakthrough services … Continue reading “LiveWire Mobile Lands $500,000 New Funding”

Solace Therapeutics Obtains $7,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=849aaac8-7e34-44ea-9dd7-5bd9b80eb6f5&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2012 Company Name Solace Therapeutics Mailing Address 139 Newbury Street Framingham, MA 01701 Company Description Solace Therapeutics, located in Carlsbad, Calif., is developing a non-surgical device specifically for the treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI). Website http://www.solacetx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Solace Therapeutics Obtains $7,000,000 New Financing Round”

Optaros Receives $2,500,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d48d0cea-787f-46d1-9100-d4ca61c7845a&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2012 Company Name Optaros Mailing Address 10 Milk St 11th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Company Description Optaros, Inc. is a venture capital-funded consulting and systems integration firm that helps large enterprises use open source software to reduce the cost of commercial software and rapidly build high-quality, cost-effective and more flexible … Continue reading “Optaros Receives $2,500,000 New Round”

SepSensor Obtains $400,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=10bc6f37-4ea6-40a3-90a8-e293a5459932&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2012 Company Name SepSensor Mailing Address 257 Simarano Drive Northborough, MA 01752 Company Description SepSensor Inc. is a startup company employing low cost, patented sensing technologies for determining the depths of stratified liquid and solid layers in tanks. SepSensor probes are wireless and can be installed in both new and … Continue reading “SepSensor Obtains $400,000 New Funding Round”

In-NOW-vation Showcase & Celebration 2012

This evening event will showcase a mix of innovative tech companies, spanning cleantech, mobile, Internet, and healthcare. Attendees vote for the winners across four unusual categories: Company I Want to Have a Beer With; Coolest. Company. EVAH; Most Likely to be Acquired by Dr Evil in his plan for World Domination; and Most Likely to … Continue reading “In-NOW-vation Showcase & Celebration 2012”

CloudLock Nabs $8.7M for Cloud Security Tech

Last year, CloudLock CEO Gil Zimmermann told Xconomy about his decision to focus his business entirely on protecting company data shared in the cloud through services like Google Apps. Seems like it was a good move. Today the Waltham, MA-based company (FKA Aprigo) is announcing that it raised $8.7 million in Series B financing from … Continue reading “CloudLock Nabs $8.7M for Cloud Security Tech”