Category: Boston

How Zite’s News App Altered the Zeitgeist in Personalized Publishing

It’s just past noon on March 30, 2011. The entire executive team from Zite is at the Sharon Heights Starbucks in Menlo Park—the usual hangout for entrepreneurs making the venture circuit. They’re killing time between VC meetings on Sand Hill Road, and they’re a little nervous. But it’s not because of the meetings, or the … Continue reading “How Zite’s News App Altered the Zeitgeist in Personalized Publishing”

Concert, Alere, TremRx, & More Names from Boston Life Sciences News

Acquisitions, licensing deals, and companies emerging from stealth mode made up the New England life sciences news this week. —My colleague Arlene took a closer look at the Alzheimer’s drugmaker Satori Pharmaceuticals, which last week scored a $15 million venture funding round. Cambridge, MA-based Satori is looking to an unusual source to develop Alzheimer’s drugs: … Continue reading “Concert, Alere, TremRx, & More Names from Boston Life Sciences News”

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Acquires Boston Biomedical for $2,630,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9f565cfa-590f-4799-9763-c323f10712e5&Preview=1 Date 3/2/2012 Company Name Boston Biomedical Mailing Address 333 Providence Hwy. Norwood, MA 02062 Company Description Boston Biomedical, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company focusing on research and development of novel therapeutics to treat cancer. Website http://www.Bostonbiomedical.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $2,630,000,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms DSP will acquire BBI for up to $2.63 billion in total which includes $200 million upfront, up to $540 … Continue reading “Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Acquires Boston Biomedical for $2,630,000,000”

State of the Recruitment Union

Recently we hosted a roundtable discussion at Rapid7 titled “New Year, New Job,” attended by some of the best recruitment minds in Boston. The idea was to create an open forum for these leaders in talent acquisition (from companies like HubSpot, Vistaprint, and Bullhorn) to discuss the relevant topics of the day around the hiring … Continue reading “State of the Recruitment Union”

ITA Software Emerges from Google’s Shadow with New Airline Platform

For having one of the larger tech presences in Kendall Square, ITA Software has been quiet lately. Too quiet. The Cambridge, MA-based travel software firm, which was acquired by Google for $700 million in 2010 (the deal finally went through last spring), hasn’t been saying much about its integration with the Mountain View, CA-based Web … Continue reading “ITA Software Emerges from Google’s Shadow with New Airline Platform”

A123 Systems Inks Supply Deal With India’s Tata Motors

A123 Systems (NASDAQ: AONE), the Watertown, MA-based manufacturer of lithium-ion battery packs with significant operations in Michigan, today announced a deal with Tata Motors to supply battery packs for its line of hybrid electric buses and other commercial vehicles. Tata Motors is India’s largest automaker. “Strategically, this is very important for us since Tata has … Continue reading “A123 Systems Inks Supply Deal With India’s Tata Motors”

Xconomist of the Week: Roger Perlmutter’s Parting Thoughts on Amgen

[Updated: 1:50 pm PT] Roger Perlmutter had a long run by biotech standards, a full 11 years, to put his stamp on R&D at Amgen. Some of the work he oversaw was unequivocally good (denosumab for osteoporosis and cancer), some bad (the EPO debacle), and some of the record is still a work in progress (44 … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Roger Perlmutter’s Parting Thoughts on Amgen”

The Harvard Fashion Tech Crew, Round Two

Call it an embarrassment of riches. On Valentine’s Day (no coincidence) I published a roundup of 16 fashion tech startups with founders from Harvard Business School, and asked any entrepreneurs I may have missed to please come forward. What resulted was enough new submissions to merit another story. So here we are. This new set … Continue reading “The Harvard Fashion Tech Crew, Round Two”

CaloSyn Pharma Obtains $309,685 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=58371a5f-a745-426d-85de-8c092e275536&Preview=1 Date 3/1/2012 Company Name CaloSyn Pharma Mailing Address 26 Firebrick Road Sharon, MA 02067 Company Description The company is developing intra-articular therapeutics for osteoarthritis. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $309,685 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed

How to Disrupt IBM, Oracle, and VMware: The CloudBees Story

Sacha Labourey was one of the early skeptics when it came to cloud computing. “For me, initially, the cloud was not that interesting. It was actually pretty boring,” he says. That’s in part because he was the chief technology officer of middleware firm JBoss, which in 2006 was bought by open source software giant Red … Continue reading “How to Disrupt IBM, Oracle, and VMware: The CloudBees Story”

Harvard-Born TremRx Pursues New Vaccine Technology

Boston-based TremRx is coming out of stealth mode today with a study that describes the startup’s method of using immune cells in the skin to mobilize the body’s disease-fighting defenses. The company, founded by Harvard dermatology professor Thomas Kupper, has identified several opportunities to develop vaccines for a range of illnesses, from cancer to viruses … Continue reading “Harvard-Born TremRx Pursues New Vaccine Technology”

Concert Nabs $200M Deal From Avanir to Make Psych Drugs

Lexington, MA-based Concert Pharmaceuticals has found a second partner looking to take advantage of its technology for making deuterium-modified drugs. Concert is announcing today that Aliso Viejo, CA-based Avanir Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVNR]]) has bought a worldwide license to Concert’s experimental drug that modifies dextromethorphan as a treatment for neurological and psychiatric disorders. Concert is getting … Continue reading “Concert Nabs $200M Deal From Avanir to Make Psych Drugs”

Matt Harris to Pursue Growth Investments at Bain Capital Ventures

Village Ventures co-founder Matt Harris is busy preparing to become a managing director at the New York offices of Bain Capital Ventures, where he plans to explore investments in early and growth-stage companies in the financial-services sector. It is a bit of a homecoming for Harris, who started his investing career at Boston-based Bain in … Continue reading “Matt Harris to Pursue Growth Investments at Bain Capital Ventures”

Charles River, FirstFuel, Quiet Logistics, & More Boston Deal News

[Updated 2/29/12 at 10:45 am. See below] Life sciences, cleantech, mobile, and IT companies all had their fair share of deals announcements this week. —Zipcar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZIP]]), the Cambridge, MA-based car-sharing pioneer, led a $13.7 million investment round in Palo Alto, CA-based Wheelz, another startup in the space that’s targeting college students. —Cambridge-based Satori Pharmaceuticals … Continue reading “Charles River, FirstFuel, Quiet Logistics, & More Boston Deal News”

Optaros Receives $4,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2c2b437f-05a4-43c6-b7ca-dcbd23bd4605&Preview=1 Date 2/29/2012 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 $4,000,000 New Funding Round”

WIB Greater Boston Kickoff Event

Celebrate Women in Bio’s arrival in the Boston scene with this kickoff party. Biotech leader Abbie Celniker of Eleven Biotherapeutics will be there for the evening of networking. Sign up here for the event.

How Big Data Is Changing Everything

There’s a radical transformation happening in information technology today, one that promises to be every bit as significant—and every bit as disruptive to existing business models—as were Web applications in the 1990s and virtualization in the first decade of the 21st century. It’s a foundational change in the way enterprises, their employees, and their customers … Continue reading “How Big Data Is Changing Everything”

Satori Cultivates Prolific Herb for Promising Alzheimer’s Weapon

Alzheimer’s drug developer Satori Pharmaceuticals raised $15 million last week, bringing its total venture capital raised to $37 million—an impressive haul, considering the Cambridge, MA-based company doesn’t expect to begin human testing of its lead compound until early 2013. But what may be even more notable is that Satori’s investors are betting on an entirely … Continue reading “Satori Cultivates Prolific Herb for Promising Alzheimer’s Weapon”

ViziApps, Springpad, LevelUp, & LoseIt: A Mobile Madness Preview

Here at Xconomy, we are gearing up for the biggest mobile event of the year in Boston: Mobile Madness 2012—Total Mobility, on March 14 at Microsoft NERD. I’ve been talking with a number of our conference speakers, taking the pulse of mobile innovation and getting a more complete picture of how all the pieces fit … Continue reading “ViziApps, Springpad, LevelUp, & LoseIt: A Mobile Madness Preview”

Blue Cod Technologies Receives $1,750,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2c8976a6-9632-4f80-880b-8ba28fac02ea&Preview=1 Date 2/28/2012 Company Name Blue Cod Technologies Mailing Address 295 Donald Lynch Blvd. Marlborough, MA 01752 Company Description Blue Cod Technologies, Inc. delivers Management and IT consulting, innovative software solutions and applications outsourcing services for today’s service industries such as insurance, financial services and utilities. Website http://www.bluecod.net Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Blue Cod Technologies Receives $1,750,000 New Funding Round”

Mobiquity Secures $3,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d8dbf316-5034-43e9-acf3-1e05ac119568&Preview=1 Date 2/28/2012 Company Name Mobiquity Mailing Address 16 Laurel Ave Boston, MA 02108 Company Description Mobiquity is a strategy-led, implementation driven Mobile Computing professional services firm focused on architecting, developing and deploying custom mobile solutions for the Global 2000. Mobiquity offers a broad range of services for clients seeking to leverage … Continue reading “Mobiquity Secures $3,000,000 New Financing Round”

Quiet Logistics’ Robotics Service Grows As Luxury E-Commerce Booms

Not long ago I wrote about how luxury retailers’ increased willingness to sell online has helped foster a new generation of fashion-focused Internet startups (particularly from Harvard Business School). But that categorical shift has also strengthened one local startup that customers wouldn’t necessarily notice when shopping online. Andover, MA-headquartered Quiet Logistics got its start in … Continue reading “Quiet Logistics’ Robotics Service Grows As Luxury E-Commerce Booms”

Killing Your Startup By Listening to Customers

The art of entrepreneurship and the science of Customer Development is not just getting out of the building and listening to prospective customers. It’s understanding who to listen to and why. Five Cups of Coffee I got a call from Satish, one of my ex-students, last week. He got my attention when he said, “Following … Continue reading “Killing Your Startup By Listening to Customers”

What Dell’s Purchase of Bain-Backed AppAssure Means for Big Data

A big acquisition in data protection is reverberating across the tech ecosystems of storage and backup—including in Boston. Dell (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DELL]]) said on Friday that it has acquired AppAssure Software, a data and application protection company based in Reston, VA, for an undisclosed sum. AppAssure opened a Boston-area office late last year and is backed … Continue reading “What Dell’s Purchase of Bain-Backed AppAssure Means for Big Data”

Bruce Booth, a LifeSciVC Shining Some Much-Needed Light on Biotech

Techies who want to learn about high-tech venture capital learn quickly they must read blogs by guys like Fred Wilson and Brad Feld. They are insiders who speak with clear, consistent, and insightful voices about an otherwise opaque little corner of the investing world. Nobody has ever performed this kind of service for biotech venture … Continue reading “Bruce Booth, a LifeSciVC Shining Some Much-Needed Light on Biotech”

Indivly, Swoop, and Vivox: Three Boston Startups to Watch

Getting caught up on some startup news around town… Two new ones emerging from semi-stealth mode in the field of content-linked deals, and one gaming and communications veteran going direct-to-consumer for the first time. —Indivly is a social Web startup led by founder John Clark, perhaps best known as half of the creative team behind … Continue reading “Indivly, Swoop, and Vivox: Three Boston Startups to Watch”

What If Your Next TV Is a Tablet?

It is a dark time for the TV rebellion. Although legions of cord-cutters have abandoned their cable subscriptions, Hollywood troops have driven the early TV-technology startups from their hidden Silicon Valley bases and pursued them across the Internet. Evading the dreaded cable and satellite companies, a group of freedom fighters led by Boxee, Netflix, and … Continue reading “What If Your Next TV Is a Tablet?”

Enanta, Satori, Vertex & More of the Week’s Life Sciences Newsmakers

Drug development news was big this week in the Boston life sciences scene. —Watertown-based Enanta Pharmaceuticals inked a lucrative partnership with Novartis to co-develop an experimental hepatitis C drug. The deal gives Enanta $34 million in upfront cash, and potentially $440 million in milestone payments if the drug reaches certain goals, as well as royalties … Continue reading “Enanta, Satori, Vertex & More of the Week’s Life Sciences Newsmakers”

Xconomist of the Week: Rich Sheridan and the Business Value of Joy

[Corrected 2/24/12, 10:00 am. See below.] The first thing you notice upon walking into Menlo Innovations, a small open-plan office in Ann Arbor, MI, is how hard everyone is working. There is a hive-like focus and intensity, so much so that the 40-member staff seems oblivious to the presence of a stranger with a notebook and … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Rich Sheridan and the Business Value of Joy”

Vertex Stays in HepC Game, as All-Oral Combo Passes Small Study

Vertex Pharmaceuticals, some investors theorized in recent months, was about to be left in the dust by other companies with more effective drugs in development against hepatitis C. Today, Vertex released some clinical trial data which just might make some folks wait a minute before declaring this story to be “Game Over.” The Cambridge, MA-based … Continue reading “Vertex Stays in HepC Game, as All-Oral Combo Passes Small Study”

FirstFuel Takes In $10M for Building Energy Analytics

Lexington, MA-based FirstFuel Software announced today that it snapped up $10 million in Series A financing, led by Rockport Capital and joined by existing investors Nth Power and Battery Ventures. That comes atop a $2.4 million seed round the company raised last September. “The addition of RockPort Capital builds on the strength of our existing … Continue reading “FirstFuel Takes In $10M for Building Energy Analytics”

Transparency Launches as Linux of Drug Development

When Tomasz Sablinski was working in pharmaceutical R&D, he was often frustrated by the demand for secrecy in the clinical trials process—a misdirected effort, he says, to keep competitors in the dark about what drug companies were up to. “The price you pay when you hide what you’re doing is you only get feedback from … Continue reading “Transparency Launches as Linux of Drug Development”

Intelligent.ly, Led by Balter & Hodges, Wants Boston to Learn New Tricks

At first I thought this might be a joke. Some fine wool pulled over the eyes of overworked, underslept journalists. The same week the “Bostlandia” video spoof comes out (shouldn’t it be Bostonia?) and there are all sorts of rumors flying around at Ruby Riot, surely this thing called “Intelligent.ly” isn’t for real. First of … Continue reading “Intelligent.ly, Led by Balter & Hodges, Wants Boston to Learn New Tricks”

Satori Snaps Up $15M for Alzheimer’s Drugs

A little more than 5 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s disease, the numbers are climbing as baby boomers age, and pharma companies have never really come up with a good treatment. But now a group of venture capitalists are betting $15 million that a Cambridge, MA-based startup, Satori Pharmaceuticals, has found a better … Continue reading “Satori Snaps Up $15M for Alzheimer’s Drugs”

FirstFuel Software Lands $10,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fc207116-a7b8-4e14-ab56-1cf67df78e1d&Preview=1 Date 2/23/2012 Company Name FirstFuel Software Mailing Address 470 Totten Pond Rd Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description We’ve developed our own patent-pending energy analytics platform for commercial buildings. Through the lens of building consumption data from your utility, we can “see” into buildings and understand how energy is being used, where … Continue reading “FirstFuel Software Lands $10,000,000 Series A Financing”

Lumesis Obtains $2,500,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=865e1470-8684-4487-acd4-672c2b798907&Preview=1 Date 2/23/2012 Company Name Lumesis Mailing Address 333 Ludlow Street South Tower Stamford, CT 06902 Company Description Lumesis is dedicated to delivering timely data, robust analytical tools and time-sensitive notifications for the fixed income marketplace. We strive to enhance your success by providing relevant and timely information, data and analytical tools … Continue reading “Lumesis Obtains $2,500,000 Series A Financing Round”

Satori Pharmaceuticals Lands $15,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ea459995-3239-4582-b32e-f1dfaf30ec71&Preview=1 Date 2/23/2012 Company Name Satori Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 281 Albany Street Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Satori Pharmaceuticals is a neuroscience company focused on the discovery and development of innovative disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Website http://www.satoripharma.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Satori Pharmaceuticals Lands $15,000,000 New Financing”

Reinventing Fire, An Evening with Amory Lovins-In Photos

Out-of-towner Amory Lovins drew a packed audience to Kendall Square last Thursday for a chat about his vision for our energy future—and how it can be achieved with better economics, no new acts of Congress or government regulation, and no major shift in our lifestyles. Lovins—co-founder, chairman, and chief scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute—co-authored … Continue reading “Reinventing Fire, An Evening with Amory Lovins-In Photos”

Zipcar and Fontinalis Bet $13.7M on Car-Sharing Startup Wheelz

The world of car-sharing just got more interesting. Zipcar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZIP]]), the Cambridge, MA-based pioneer in the sector, said today it has led a $13.7 million Series A investment in Wheelz, a Palo Alto, CA-based car-sharing startup that targets college students. Detroit-based Fontinalis Partners, a transportation tech investment firm, also participated in the round. As … Continue reading “Zipcar and Fontinalis Bet $13.7M on Car-Sharing Startup Wheelz”

GreatPoint, Enanta, NextView, & More Boston Dealmakers

VC, cleantech, and biotech players populated the New England deal news this week. —Cambridge, MA-based coal-to-natural-gas company GreatPoint Energy formed a $1.25 billion partnership with China Wanxiang Holdings, according to a report in Dow Jones VentureWire. The deal also included $420 million in a Series D investment. —On-Q-ity, the Waltham, MA-based cancer diagnostics startup announced … Continue reading “GreatPoint, Enanta, NextView, & More Boston Dealmakers”

Exinda Networks Receives $9,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5f125f88-ee94-4d00-b724-e197940ddc79&Preview=1 Date 2/22/2012 Company Name Exinda Networks Mailing Address 300 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 Company Description Exinda Networks is a leading global supplier of high quality network performance optimization and monitoring systems. Exinda’s products offer network data optimization, traffic reporting and application acceleration that allow enterprises to ensure its network operation … Continue reading “Exinda Networks Receives $9,000,000 New Funding Round”

ResearchGATE Garners Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=653c768a-a79a-440c-b4f1-eeb61abcedc1&Preview=1 Date 2/22/2012 Company Name ResearchGATE Mailing Address 350 Third Street Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description The company operates a website and social network for scientific communities. Website http://www.researchgate.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Founders … Continue reading “ResearchGATE Garners Series B Round”

Collegium Pharmaceutical Receives $22,500,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f419bf02-c8ca-4a43-a3a8-f5bf2ee5cf21&Preview=1 Date 2/22/2012 Company Name Collegium Pharmaceutical Mailing Address 400 Highland Corporate Drive Cumberland, RI 02864 Company Description Collegium Pharmaceutical is dedicated to the development of proprietary, late stage pharmaceutical products that add market value and clinical benefit to existing drugs. We apply customized pharmaceutical formulations and intellectual property (IP) strategies to … Continue reading “Collegium Pharmaceutical Receives $22,500,000 New Funding Round”

Is Movik Networks the Next Starent? A Chat with Highland VC Sean Dalton

Here in Boston we can get a little provincial. It’s us against them, East Coast vs. West Coast, Boston vs. New York, the list goes on. This focus on local applies to the tech community as much as anything else: Who’s leading the resurgence of Boston startups? Why don’t Boston VCs invest in more local … Continue reading “Is Movik Networks the Next Starent? A Chat with Highland VC Sean Dalton”

Enanta Enters HepC Big Leagues, With $34M Upfront From Novartis

Watertown, MA-based Enanta Pharmaceuticals just took a step ahead in the hepatitis C drug development derby. Enanta said today it has secured an exclusive deal with Novartis to co-develop an experimental hepatitis C drug, dubbed EDP-239, that’s designed to work by blocking a protein called NS5A. The deal provides Enanta with $34 million in upfront … Continue reading “Enanta Enters HepC Big Leagues, With $34M Upfront From Novartis”

Take the Interview Takes Manhattan in Strategic and Practical Maneuver

In a strategic play to be closer to existing investors, potential backers, and her own personal support system, Danielle Weinblatt, the CEO of Take the Interview, has moved her startup from Cambridge, MA, to New York City and is on the hunt for more funding. Take the Interview has developed a platform for recruiters to … Continue reading “Take the Interview Takes Manhattan in Strategic and Practical Maneuver”

Oh, And One More Thing: A Wowser Moment in DNA Sequencing

[Updated and corrected, 10:15 am PT] Steve Jobs used to love being on stage, getting the audience in the palm of his hand. Famously, he’d say, “Oh, and one more thing,” to build suspense right before delivering some stunning line about a new Apple product. Last week, that same showmanship was at work in a … Continue reading “Oh, And One More Thing: A Wowser Moment in DNA Sequencing”

Avedro Lands $500,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9a3fb792-a15d-4a17-8435-783db49c7dab&Preview=1 Date 2/21/2012 Company Name Avedro Mailing Address 230 Third Avenue Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Avedro’s Keraflex is not laser eye surgery – it is a non-incisional, non-invasive procedure currently under clinical study for the correction of myopia and the treatment of keratoconus. Unlike LASIK and other laser vision correction procedures, … Continue reading “Avedro Lands $500,000 New Funding Round”