Xconomy’s national biotech editor, Luke Timmerman, has won a national award for column-writing from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. It’s the first national journalism award for Xconomy, which was founded in 2007 and now operates a six-city network of news sites focused on business innovation. The award is for Luke’s weekly BioBeat … Continue reading “Xconomy’s Timmerman Wins National Journalism Award”
Category: Boston
Report: GreatPoint Energy Grabs $420M from Chinese Investor
After last night’s stellar event with Amory Lovins and Jim Matheson, I’m thinking about our energy and cleantech future today. Luckily, so is a Boston-area company that apparently makes billion-dollar deals for breakfast. GreatPoint Energy, a coal-to-natural-gas company in Cambridge, MA, has formed a $1.25 billion partnership with China Wanxiang Holdings, in a deal that … Continue reading “Report: GreatPoint Energy Grabs $420M from Chinese Investor”
LinkedIn: The Missing Manual Worth Reading
I picked up The Start-up of You, the new book published this week by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and journalist-entrepreneur Ben Casnocha, with some trepidation. I feared that the title was intended literally—that this would be one of those dreary business books that spends seven chapters twisting reality to fit its gimmicky metaphor. (I’ve got … Continue reading “LinkedIn: The Missing Manual Worth Reading”
Mnemosyne, Hydra, On-Q-ity, & More New England Life Sciences News
Clinical trial advances, new financing, and personnel moves made up the New England life sciences news this week. —Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]) scooped up Cambridge, MA-based drugmaker Stromedix for $75 million upfront and potentially $487.5 million more to come in milestone payments. Stromedix is developing drugs to treat fibrosis and was founded by former Biogen head … Continue reading “Mnemosyne, Hydra, On-Q-ity, & More New England Life Sciences News”
Mnemosyne Pharmaceuticals Garners $5,400,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=218e4cfe-e65c-4289-aff4-d76db40f316f&Preview=1 Date 2/17/2012 Company Name Mnemosyne Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 3 Davol Square Providence, RI 02903 Company Description The company is a Providence-based drug discovery venture aiming to develop small molecule therapeutics to treat schizophrenia and other cognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders. Website http://www.mnemosynepharma.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,400,000 Transaction Round Series … Continue reading “Mnemosyne Pharmaceuticals Garners $5,400,000 Series A Financing”
MicroCHIPS Shows Promise of Bone Drug Implant in First Human Trial
Waltham, MA-based MicroCHIPS announced today that its lead product—an implantable, wireless, chip-based device that delivers a drug to treat the bone disease osteoporosis—performed well in its first human trial. The study, published in the online edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine, showed that post-menopausal women who received daily doses of the popular drug teriparatide … Continue reading “MicroCHIPS Shows Promise of Bone Drug Implant in First Human Trial”
Boston Business Leaders Reflect on Susan Hockfield’s MIT Presidency
Susan Hockfield made waves when she became the 16th president of MIT in late 2004. She was the first female president of the Institute, and the first person from life sciences to hold that position. (Her faculty appointment is in neuroscience.) But today, after Hockfield announced she will be stepping down as president after MIT … Continue reading “Boston Business Leaders Reflect on Susan Hockfield’s MIT Presidency”
Hope to See You Tonight for Chat with Amory Lovins-Few Tickets Left
I’m getting excited for tonight’s chat featuring two great energy—and clean energy—experts. Coming in from out of town as the star of the show is Amory Lovins, the visionary cofounder, chairman, and chief scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute. He will be chatting with Jim Matheson, general partner of Flagship Ventures, and one of New … Continue reading “Hope to See You Tonight for Chat with Amory Lovins-Few Tickets Left”
Mobile Madness 2012 on March 14: Here’s the Agenda
Wow, just under a month to go before we convene a truly amazing group of Boston-area leaders and upstarts in the ubiquitous field of mobile technology. Mobile Madness 2012: Total Mobility is taking place March 14 at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge, MA, from 1:00–5:30 pm, with plenty of time for networking and catching up with … Continue reading “Mobile Madness 2012 on March 14: Here’s the Agenda”
Xconomist of the Week: Peter Kuhn on Detecting Circulating Tumor Cells
Worrying whether a solid tissue tumor might spread elsewhere in the body represents one of the biggest unknowns for many cancer patients, according to Peter Kuhn, an associate professor of cell biology at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego. “As long as the disease is confined to the primary tumor, the oncologists can deal … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Peter Kuhn on Detecting Circulating Tumor Cells”
Will New Business Models Enhance or Endanger Drug Discovery?
The most successful biotechs of the past quarter century have been companies that established relatively large, cutting edge research programs, such as Biogen, Immunex, and Genentech. I’ll refer to this as the B.I.G. model. These companies were able to hire young, innovative scientists by promising them a certain degree of intellectual freedom to pursue research … Continue reading “Will New Business Models Enhance or Endanger Drug Discovery?”
LiveClips Receives $2,150,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cca10f5f-57f6-4ab7-882d-bb1865583688&Preview=1 Date 2/16/2012 Company Name LiveClips Mailing Address 281 Tresser Blvd 12th Floor Stamford, CT 06901 Company Description LiveClips is an innovator and leader in the development and delivery of video content from live sporting events to any Internet-enabled device. LiveClips is a game-changer. Its advanced technology automates the previously time- and … Continue reading “LiveClips Receives $2,150,000 New Financing”
Boston New Technology Meetup Group
The Boston New Technology Meetup is meeting to demo a handful of new products. Join the Meetup for a night of networking, new products, and pizza.
Ruby Riot
Love Ruby? RubyRiot’s motto is “Pay it Forward” so stop over to The Estate to pay it forward to other entrepreneurs and coders at the next #RubyRiot.
OnSwipe Looks to Ride Third Wave of the Web with New Content Network
“This is the new network for the Internet, and it’s focused on tablets and touch devices,” says Jason Baptiste. In other words, this is no run-of-the-mill product announcement. Or so it seems. OnSwipe, a tech startup based in New York (with lead investors in Boston), is rolling out a content distribution network for publishers who … Continue reading “OnSwipe Looks to Ride Third Wave of the Web with New Content Network”
On-Q-ity Raises $5M, Names GSK Vet as CEO
Today Waltham, MA-based diagnostics maker On-Q-ity announced it has raised $5 million in a Series B funding round and named Michael Stocum president and CEO. Stocum, who is replacing On-Q-ity founder Mara Aspinall, is the president and founder of consulting firm Personalized Medicine Partners, based in Research Triangle Park, NC, and previously worked in research and … Continue reading “On-Q-ity Raises $5M, Names GSK Vet as CEO”
Ruby Riot #2: Lauzon & Lum Urge Partiers to Pay It Forward
For some, “pay it forward” is an old Kevin Spacey movie (and the last time Haley Joel Osment was recognizable). For others, it’s a mantra to live by. The latter camp would include Matt Lauzon and Jennifer Lum, co-organizers of the year’s first big tech party in Boston, set for next Tuesday, Feb. 21, at … Continue reading “Ruby Riot #2: Lauzon & Lum Urge Partiers to Pay It Forward”
Barry Diller and IAC Back Aereo to Bring Live TV to Mobile Devices
In a world increasingly distracted by mobile devices, television broadcasters are searching for new ways to keep their shows in front of the audience. Rather than fight the mobile trend, TV station owners such as Hearst Television plan to bring their content to handheld devices in the somewhat near future. However, New York-based IAC (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “Barry Diller and IAC Back Aereo to Bring Live TV to Mobile Devices”
Hydra Makes Progress in Pain With First Trial and New Partnership
Two years ago, Cambridge, MA-based Hydra Biosciences generated some buzz when a Series D funding round brought its total venture haul to $69 million and it formed a pact with Cubist Pharmaceuticals to develop its non-narcotic pain drugs. Now the company’s efforts are starting to bear fruit, with two milestones reached since the start of … Continue reading “Hydra Makes Progress in Pain With First Trial and New Partnership”
Energy Points, Biogen, Navinet, & More Boston Dealmakers
Acquisitions are in the air in New England. Here’s what happened in the past week. —Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AKAM]]), the Web content and delivery giant of Cambridge, MA, made a move to tackle Web performance at the browser level, with the acquisition of Ottawa-based Blaze Software. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. —Boston-based … Continue reading “Energy Points, Biogen, Navinet, & More Boston Dealmakers”
Skystream Markets Obtains New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=deb9e221-e431-4004-85d7-7e49d15fce48&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2012 Company Name Skystream Markets Mailing Address 6 Landmark Square Stamford, CT 06901 Company Description Skystream Markets is an institutional transaction platform for the renewable energy and environmental markets. By utilizing a hybrid approach that combines technology and traditional brokerage services, Skystream Markets is focused on creating price discovery, concentrating … Continue reading “Skystream Markets Obtains New Financing”
On-Q-ity Secures $5,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f2469718-ec12-42d0-9793-d24f56f47ed1&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2012 Company Name On-Q-ity Mailing Address 610 Lincoln Street 3rd Floor North Building Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Informed decisions will improve the way cancer is treated. On-Q-ity is an innovative diagnostic company that is focused on providing physicians with the tools they need to make the best decision when … Continue reading “On-Q-ity Secures $5,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
Biogen Idec Lets Stromedix Do The Hard Part
For anyone wondering about the value that can be added by entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to the drug discovery and development process, look no further than Stromedix. This venture-backed company in Cambridge, MA, was acquired today by Biogen Idec for $75 million up-front and up to $487.5 million based on the achievement of certain development … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Lets Stromedix Do The Hard Part”
Fashion Tech Startups Emerging From Harvard B-School Runway in Droves
When Harvard and startups are mentioned in the same sentence, it’s usually to talk about the undergrad dropouts who went on to start tech empires (think Bill and Mark). But Harvard Business School has its own set of graduates making waves, and it’s not just the finance industry tycoons you’re probably thinking of. Gilt Groupe. … Continue reading “Fashion Tech Startups Emerging From Harvard B-School Runway in Droves”
Biogen Buys Stromedix for $75M, Regaining Fibrosis Drug
Before Michael Gilman founded Cambridge, MA-based Stromedix in 2007, he headed up Biogen Idec’s research organization for five years. So today marks a reunion of sorts, with Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) announcing that it will buy Stromedix—which is working on treatments for fibrosis and organ failure—for $75 million. The deal also includes potential milestone payments of up … Continue reading “Biogen Buys Stromedix for $75M, Regaining Fibrosis Drug”
Serial Entrepreneur Turned Pro Hoops Player Named CEO of New Team
Can anyone say Jackie Moon? He was the character from the movie Semi-Pro, played by Will Ferrell, who used the profits from his one-hit-wonder singing career (the song was Love Me Sexy) to buy a semi-professional basketball team—and then made himself a player. Well, the Jackie Moon references can’t help but come to mind in … Continue reading “Serial Entrepreneur Turned Pro Hoops Player Named CEO of New Team”
Venture Capital Is the Essence of Everything Good in Capitalism
I was heartened this month to see that the Private Equity Growth Capital Council launched a multi-million-dollar education and public affairs campaign on the Internet highlighting the basics of private equity. Hopefully, this will address a general lack of understanding about private equity, which, among other things, is too often confused with venture capital. This … Continue reading “Venture Capital Is the Essence of Everything Good in Capitalism”
Nabeel Hyatt on the Next Consumer Startup Model: Metrics + Creative
The best interviews surprise you. You go in expecting to talk about one thing, but your subject makes you think about something else—in this case, an emerging trend that people are talking about, though it doesn’t have a name yet. Last week I spoke with Nabeel Hyatt, the Boston-area techie best known for starting Conduit … Continue reading “Nabeel Hyatt on the Next Consumer Startup Model: Metrics + Creative”
Energy Points Garners $3,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0be5a26c-0da6-4257-9119-5adb7d487271&Preview=1 Date 2/14/2012 Company Name Energy Points Mailing Address Undisclosed Cambridge, MA 02451 Company Description We believe that environmental sustainability should be based on rigorous analysis translated into simple numbers. On math not myth. We are dedicated to enabling quantitative and intuitive sustainability decisions. Energy Points was founded by a team of … Continue reading “Energy Points Garners $3,000,000 New Round”
Spin Transfer Garners $36,000,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a7dcdc13-babd-427b-8ece-e1d741d98e9f&Preview=1 Date 2/14/2012 Company Name Spin Transfer Mailing Address 33 Arch Street 32nd Floor Boston, MA 02110 Company Description New York University and Allied Minds have teamed to establish Spin Transfer Technologies (STT) to develop and commercialize advanced spin transfer magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) technologies. Website http://www.spintransfer.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Spin Transfer Garners $36,000,000 Series A Financing”
Biogen Idec Acquires StroMedix for $562,500,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=540c612f-0e79-4e2f-bbef-5011c83e9ee7&Preview=1 Date 2/14/2012 Company Name StroMedix Mailing Address One Canal Park Cambridge, MA 02141 Company Description Stromedix is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to developing novel drugs to treat fibrotic organ failure. Stromedix will focus initially on chronic indications but plans to leverage its expertise and expand its therapeutic pipeline into related … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Acquires StroMedix for $562,500,000”
A 2.6X Economy with No Oil, Coal, or Nukes: Amory Lovins Explains on 2/16
What if you could “do” fire completely differently? Well, Reinventing Fire is the provocative title of a new book co-authored by energy visionary Amory Lovins, the cofounder, chairman, and chief scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute. What it’s really about, of course, is our energy future. And Lovins is bullish—at least about what can be … Continue reading “A 2.6X Economy with No Oil, Coal, or Nukes: Amory Lovins Explains on 2/16”
Yottaa Dives Into Akamai’s Business of Web Content Delivery—Sort Of
Last week, we reported that Akamai (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AKAM]]) is getting into website optimization with its acquisition of Canadian startup Blaze Software. That move is a bit of a departure for Akamai, which is known for its technology on the content delivery and networking side. Well, now it turns out that one of Blaze’s Boston-area competitors … Continue reading “Yottaa Dives Into Akamai’s Business of Web Content Delivery—Sort Of”
Option to Buy: The New Face of Biotech Funding?
When Cambridge, MA-based Warp Drive Bio launched on January 10, the startup was as notable for its financing structure as it was for its technology—maybe more. That’s because part of the $125 million in funding that Warp Drive received came from French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]) , which received in return the chance to … Continue reading “Option to Buy: The New Face of Biotech Funding?”
Energy Points Harnesses $3M, Wants to Create Sustainability Standard
There’s a new cleantech company making noise in the Boston area today. Cambridge, MA-based Energy Points is releasing a new software product for businesses to measure sustainability across different industries and resources such as electricity, water, transportation, and waste. The idea is to convert different measures of environmental footprints and energy efficiency into a common … Continue reading “Energy Points Harnesses $3M, Wants to Create Sustainability Standard”
Variation Biotechnologies Obtains $2,200,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c352eb0f-b97d-49c1-bc13-0986d08c515d&Preview=1 Date 2/13/2012 Company Name Variation Biotechnologies Mailing Address 245 First St. Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Variation Biotechnologies, Inc. (VBI) creates intelligent vaccines that learn from nature. Our management and scientific team consists of industry-leading experts that have increased our product pipeline and partnerships. Website http://www.variationbiotech.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Variation Biotechnologies Obtains $2,200,000 New Funding Round”
Synchroneuron, Radius, Acetylon, & More Boston Life Sciences News
New England drug developers made headlines this week with funding news. —My San Diego colleague Bruce took a look at Applied Proteomics, the five-year-old biotech startup co-founded by MIT-trained computer scientist Danny Hillis. The startup, which raised $22.5 million in funding in June, is developing technology that provides a 40-gigabyte snapshot of all the proteins circulating … Continue reading “Synchroneuron, Radius, Acetylon, & More Boston Life Sciences News”
Internet Marketing Boot Camp 2012 for Entrepreneurs, Marketing Managers, and Digital Agencies!
The Internet Marketing Boot Camp hopes to bring together entrepreneurs, marketing managers, digital agencies, and others in the PR and social media scene. The “Boot Camp” will include presentations, networking and workshops for attendees to get hands on experience with experts in the field. Register here for this free event.
AllTrails and National Geographic Team Up to Get Hikers Oriented
The United States is essentially an unpopulated wilderness. If you scattered the citizenry evenly across the country, we’d each have a luxurious eight acres to ourselves. But here’s the weird thing: In a country where the outdoors is so vast, people rarely go there. Even folks who think of themselves as outdoorsy types don’t leave … Continue reading “AllTrails and National Geographic Team Up to Get Hikers Oriented”
Constant Contact and HubSpot: Some Boston-Area Marketing Tech News
Time for an update on Boston’s marketing tech cluster. It’s one of the real strengths of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. And it looks like it’s getting stronger, with a couple of leaders making news this week. Here is a tale of two companies that have become competitors: —Constant Contact (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTCT]]), the Waltham, MA-based online … Continue reading “Constant Contact and HubSpot: Some Boston-Area Marketing Tech News”
BoardProspects Receives $650,000 Seed Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d7ec8bf4-07d5-4453-a847-3cbf017df19d&Preview=1 Date 2/10/2012 Company Name BoardProspects Mailing Address 50 Braintree Hill Office Park Braintree, MA 02184 Company Description BoardProspects is the online professional community dedicated to building better boards. Website http://www.boardprospects.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $650,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes BoardProspects will apply the capital to accelerate development of … Continue reading “BoardProspects Receives $650,000 Seed Financing Round”
To Attract Investors, Put Your Best Financial Foot Forward
As you have read this week about the financial details of Facebook’s IPO filing, you have no doubt stopped to think about—or daydream about—what your own company might be worth. While going public might be a distant or inappropriate goal for your own venture, Facebook’s IPO serves as a timely reminder that you should be … Continue reading “To Attract Investors, Put Your Best Financial Foot Forward”
Xconomist of the Week: Tim Mayleben on Building University Startups
Last month, Aastrom Biosciences president and CEO Tim Mayleben and his wife, Dawn, announced they are funding a new “venture shaping” program at the University of Michigan. Venture shaping refers to the process of systematically vetting a nifty idea for a startup, with the idea that the failure of a less-than-viable business will occur at … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Tim Mayleben on Building University Startups”
Persistence Pays Off for Synchroneuron Founder
When Barry Fogel first started developing a new treatment 15 years ago, his main goal was to help his own patients. Fogel, a physician trained in both psychiatry and neurology, saw many patients with a movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia (TD). The condition—which can be caused by drugs that block dopamine, such as antipsychotics—is characterized by … Continue reading “Persistence Pays Off for Synchroneuron Founder”
Smarterer, Senexx, & Take the Interview: Some Talent Management News
Today’s West Coast announcement that Oracle is buying human resources management firm Taleo for $1.9 billion—yes, billion—puts some Boston-area talent and recruiting startups in a new light. Unfortunately, one of them is no longer in Boston… —Take the Interview, the video-based recruiting startup and former Dogpatch Labs Cambridge resident, has relocated to New York City … Continue reading “Smarterer, Senexx, & Take the Interview: Some Talent Management News”
Celgene Pours $15M Into Acetylon, Takes “Observer” Role on Board
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft may still be smarting from his team’s loss to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, but at least one of Kraft’s other organizations has some good news to cushion the blow: Boston-based Acetylon said today that it has received a $15 million equity investment from Celgene (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “Celgene Pours $15M Into Acetylon, Takes “Observer” Role on Board”
Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Secures $15,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=032759aa-310f-43e1-b51d-19a5acebd36e&Preview=1 Date 2/9/2012 Company Name Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 70 Fargo Street Boston, MA 02210 Company Description Acetylon Pharmaceuticals is a Boston-based company recently formed to commercialize promising pharmaceutical technology emerging from collaborative research at Harvard University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Acetylon intends to pursue the clinical development and commercialization of … Continue reading “Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Secures $15,000,000 New Round”
SpaceClaim Receives $4,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0e927259-66b4-4b86-b603-4c50928adf99&Preview=1 Date 2/9/2012 Company Name SpaceClaim Mailing Address 150 Baker Ave Ext Concord, MA 01742 Company Description SpaceClaim Corporation provides breakthrough mechanical design technology that enhances engineers’ productivity by empowering them to contribute to, consume, and share mechanical designs in 3D digital format. SpaceClaim’s innovative and intuitive 3D tools extend the benefits … Continue reading “SpaceClaim Receives $4,000,000 New Funding”
Xconomy Is on Google+!
All the cool kids were doing it, so we just couldn’t resist. We’ve created an Xconomy page on Google+, where we’ll share several of our most interesting stories every day. We’ve also added Google+ sharing buttons to all of our stories here on the site—you’ll find them in the sharing box at right, and at the … Continue reading “Xconomy Is on Google+!”
Akamai Buys Blaze as Web Optimization Heats Up in Boston
A young Canadian software startup with Boston investors is now part of a big Boston-area company. Ottawa-based Blaze Software has been acquired by Cambridge, MA-based Akamai (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AKAM]]) for an undisclosed cash sum. What’s interesting here is that Akamai, the Web content delivery and networking giant, is making a move into Web performance optimization—basically tackling … Continue reading “Akamai Buys Blaze as Web Optimization Heats Up in Boston”