A local tech startup that has been toiling away for four years saw its first partnership with a big company come to fruition last week—and it could be a sign of bigger things to come. Back in February, Cambridge, MA-based OfficeDrop, a digital filing software company, inked a deal with Nuance Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUAN]]), the … Continue reading “OfficeDrop Sees Nuance Partnership Pay Off, Looks for More Deals in Digital Filing, Sharing”
Category: Boston
Bluesocket Bought By ADTRAN
Burlington, MA-based Bluesocket, which produces wireless networking and security technology, has been acquired by ADTRAN in a transaction effective August 4, the companies announced today. ADTRAN (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ADTN]]), a provider of networking and communications equipment, will roll Bluesocket into its enterprise networks business. Bluesocket—whose investors include Ascent Venture Partners, Intel Capital, Menlo Ventures, and Vesbridge … Continue reading “Bluesocket Bought By ADTRAN”
Downgrading America?
I don’t know how most Americans feel these days, but I haven’t felt like this since just before Richard Nixon left office in 1974. Our political leaders (think “jumbo shrimp” or “military intelligence”) have just completed a grand game of chicken. They ended up in just the same position Neville Chamberlain was when he negotiated … Continue reading “Downgrading America?”
Cape Cod Startup PartingGift Looks to Gamify Market Research
What do running a farm, being a mobster, and taking orders at the drive-through at Dunkin’ Donuts all have in common? They’re all experiences simulated on Facebook, thanks to game developers Zynga (maker of Mafia Wars and Farmville) and a much newer startup, PartingGift, which operates in a Massachusetts area not exactly known as a … Continue reading “Cape Cod Startup PartingGift Looks to Gamify Market Research”
Nanigans Receives $3,000,000 Series A Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bc7dea23-6d25-411a-ab82-b5334c96e062&Preview=1 Date 8/9/2011 Company Name Nanigans Mailing Address 141 Tremont St. 7th Floor Boston, MA 02111 Company Description Founded by veteran entrepreneurs with specialties in performance and social marketing, Nanigans was formed to help advertisers maximize the effectiveness of Facebook advertising. Nanigans is the only real-time bidding platform for the Facebook ads … Continue reading “Nanigans Receives $3,000,000 Series A Financing Round”
ADTRAN Acquires Bluesocket for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a78f22ea-67fc-4a08-b758-eb4cd7cb2000&Preview=1 Date 8/9/2011 Company Name Bluesocket Mailing Address 52 Second Avenue Burlington, MA 01803 Company Description Bluesocket Inc., a supplier of products that secure and manage wireless networks (WLANs). Website http://www.bluesocket.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed by … Continue reading “ADTRAN Acquires Bluesocket for Undisclosed Sum”
Lumenpulse Shines with $16M
Lumenpulse, a manufacturer of LED lighting fixtures, announced today that it has raised $16 million in an equity- and debt-based Series A round of financing. The company, whose U.S. headquarters are in Boston, said the funding will go to market and product development. Investors in the round include Lumenpulse’s management and board of directors, as … Continue reading “Lumenpulse Shines with $16M”
Another $5M for DynamicOps
DynamicOps, a Burlington, MA-based developer of technology for virtualizing IT environments for businesses, has brought in another $5 million in equity-based funding, according to an SEC filing. The document for the newest investment lists members of Sierra Ventures and Credit Suisse, which spun out DynamicOps in 2008, as directors at the company. DynamicOps raised $11.3 … Continue reading “Another $5M for DynamicOps”
Which Boston VCs Are Raising New Funds? General Catalyst, Kepha Partners, and More
Maybe the better question is who isn’t raising a new fund? Venture fundraising seems to be picking up around town after a bleak couple of years. At least for a few prominent VC firms. We reported back in March that Bessemer, Greylock, and Summit Partners were on the fundraising trail, and now all of them … Continue reading “Which Boston VCs Are Raising New Funds? General Catalyst, Kepha Partners, and More”
WordStream Tries to Tame a River of Search Marketing with Software for Small Businesses
With all the hoopla around social media and other newfangled marketing tools, people sometimes forget that Google is a $30 billion business—thanks mostly to paid search advertising. Not Larry Kim. His startup, Boston-based WordStream, specializes in search engine marketing software. That means helping businesses make their paid text ads appear high up on the page, … Continue reading “WordStream Tries to Tame a River of Search Marketing with Software for Small Businesses”
Dendreon Wounds Are Self-Inflicted, Not the Start of a Biotech Industry Virus
Dendreon has made its share of mistakes before. But last week, the Seattle cancer drug developer achieved the biotech equivalent of fumbling the ball on the 1-yard line with time running out on the clock. The failure was so painful, so shocking, it erased two-thirds of the company’s stock value—about $3 billion. It even started … Continue reading “Dendreon Wounds Are Self-Inflicted, Not the Start of a Biotech Industry Virus”
Lumenpulse Receives $16,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9bde556d-be5d-459d-8b5f-40150ada1bc4&Preview=1 Date 8/8/2011 Company Name Lumenpulse Mailing Address 268 Summer Street 2nd Floor Boston, MA 02210 Company Description Founded in 2006, Lumenpulse designs and manufactures cutting edge Architectural Solid State Lighting Luminaires for both interior and exterior applications. Our attention to detail in mechanical, optical and fixture design positions Lumenpulse as a … Continue reading “Lumenpulse Receives $16,000,000 New Round”
Tantaline Snaps Up $3.6M
Waltham, MA-based Tantaline, a developer of corrosion-resistant surface alloy technology, announced yesterday that it had pulled in $3.6 million in Series B financing, led by Harvard, MA-based Berwind Private Equity, and Danish firms Vaekstfonden and CC Holdings. Tantaline’s technology enables materials to achieve greater energy efficiency in high chemical, pressure, and temperature environments—for applications in … Continue reading “Tantaline Snaps Up $3.6M”
An Open Letter to Dendreon’s Chairman
[Editor’s Note: This letter was sent today to Dendreon chairman Richard Brewer.] Dear Mr. Brewer: Just over five months ago I wrote to you expressing serious concerns about the composition of the board of directors and its oversight of Dendreon’s management. I appreciated the opportunity to discuss these views in person with management at company … Continue reading “An Open Letter to Dendreon’s Chairman”
Bonfire of the Vanities: The Difference Between Marketing and Sales in Tech
When I was in my 20s, I was taught the relationship between marketing and sales over a bonfire. — Over 30 years ago, before the arrival of the personal computer, there were desktop computers called office workstations. Designed around the first generation of microprocessors, these computers ran business applications like word processing, spreadsheets, and accounting. … Continue reading “Bonfire of the Vanities: The Difference Between Marketing and Sales in Tech”
Radio Without Radios, Books Without Bookstores: Welcome to the Era of Unbound Media
Last weekend I decided to get serious about the fact that I live in an earthquake zone, and started putting together a kit with all the food, water, and equipment I’d need to survive for a few days if local services broke down. One of the items that turns up on all of the standard … Continue reading “Radio Without Radios, Books Without Bookstores: Welcome to the Era of Unbound Media”
Acceleron, Celgene Take Aim at Amgen’s Multibillion-Dollar Anemia Market
Amgen became the biotech industry’s biggest company largely because of a drug it developed in the 1980s for treating anemia. Plenty have tried, and failed, to knock Amgen off that pedestal ever since. But now a deepening alliance between Summit, NJ-based Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) and Cambridge, MA-based Acceleron Pharma is taking one, and possibly two, … Continue reading “Acceleron, Celgene Take Aim at Amgen’s Multibillion-Dollar Anemia Market”
Celgene Pumps Up Acceleron, On-Q-ity CEO Goes to Roche Unit, MSMB Eyes Amag, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
We caught some personnel updates and other news from public and private New England companies developing drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics technology. —Woburn, MA-based Pathogenetix, the diagnostics and biodefense company formerly known as U.S. Genomics, raised $4 million of a targeted $9.5 million equity financing. —Beacon Endoscopic, a Newton, MA-based startup that’s developed a fine … Continue reading “Celgene Pumps Up Acceleron, On-Q-ity CEO Goes to Roche Unit, MSMB Eyes Amag, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
SeeWhy Obtains $133,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b24ad430-13f4-4224-b05a-a3d53a190b98&Preview=1 Date 8/5/2011 Company Name SeeWhy Mailing Address 300 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 Company Description SeeWhy delivers breakthrough improvements in website conversion with its Abandonment Tracker family of “on demand” services. Re-marketing to abandoned visitors using the SeeWhy service re-converts up to 50% of visitors who abandon their shopping carts, online … Continue reading “SeeWhy Obtains $133,000 New Funding”
Novogy Lands $1,500,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3dabee94-c3ff-4e78-8161-7018fc7e257b&Preview=1 Date 8/5/2011 Company Name Novogy Mailing Address 85 Bolton Street Cambridge, MA 02138 Company Description The company is developing cellulosic fuel technologies and is focused on waste-paper sludge as a feedstock. Website http://www.novogyinc.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $1,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. Amount may … Continue reading “Novogy Lands $1,500,000 New Financing”
Kinvey Closes $2M for Mobile Apps Backend
Kinvey, a mobile software startup (originally from Texas) that recently graduated from the TechStars Boston accelerator program, said today it has completed a $2 million seed financing round that was led by Atlas Venture. Avalon Ventures also participated in the round, along with Boston-area angel investors including Chris Lynch, Mike Baker, Jennifer Lum, Ty Danco, … Continue reading “Kinvey Closes $2M for Mobile Apps Backend”
Xconomist of the Week: Five Questions About Life Sciences Investing for Dennis Purcell of Aisling Capital
Dennis Purcell is the senior managing partner of New York-based Aisling Capital, one of the top venture capital firms in the life sciences industry, with $1.65 billion under management. In 2009, Aisling closed its third fund, worth $650 million. Aisling Capital’s first fund started up in 2002 with the goal of supporting startups across the … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Five Questions About Life Sciences Investing for Dennis Purcell of Aisling Capital”
GI Dynamics and Exa File for IPOs in Weight Loss Devices, Automotive Software
The IPO market seems to be heating up around the country, but will Boston get left behind? A couple of local companies are trying to do their part, joining the likes of Kayak, Carbonite, and others that have filed papers to go public. The latest ones are GI Dynamics, a medical device maker targeting obesity … Continue reading “GI Dynamics and Exa File for IPOs in Weight Loss Devices, Automotive Software”
Stéphane Bancel, Former bioMérieux CEO, Talks Future of Startups, Diagnostics, Pharma
Amid all the comings and goings and CEOs changing jobs in the past week—see Rick Reidy of Progress Software (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PRGS]]), Mara Aspinall of On-Q-ity, and others—one person flew under the radar in Boston. He is Stéphane Bancel, and until last month he was the CEO of bioMérieux, the microbiology and diagnostics firm based in … Continue reading “Stéphane Bancel, Former bioMérieux CEO, Talks Future of Startups, Diagnostics, Pharma”
DynamicOps Secures $4,999,999 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f4022179-ca01-4152-9215-43c003e42bf5&Preview=1 Date 8/4/2011 Company Name DynamicOps Mailing Address One Wall Street Floor 2 Burlington, MA 01803 Company Description DynamicOps solutions transform the way cloud and virtual desktop infrastructure environments are managed so that organizations can quickly respond to and capitalize on market changes. Website http://www.dynamicops.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,999,999 … Continue reading “DynamicOps Secures $4,999,999 New Funding”
Kinvey Lands $2,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2bb95cb9-8a8a-4e55-970d-02ebd86e037e&Preview=1 Date 8/4/2011 Company Name Kinvey Mailing Address One Cambridge Center. 6th Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Kinvey (pronounced Kin-vey, like convey) makes it ridiculously easy for developers to setup, use and maintain a cloud backend for their mobile apps. Website http://www.kinvey.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Kinvey Lands $2,000,000 New Funding Round”
Fotonauts Garners $2,499,998 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=08427f4a-28f5-4800-beb9-a7439675cd7b&Preview=1 Date 8/4/2011 Company Name Fotonauts Mailing Address 185 Alewife Brook Parkway Cambridge, MA 02138 Company Description Fotopedia is breathing new life into photos by building a photo encyclopedia that lets photographers and photo enthusiasts collaborate and enrich images to be useful for the whole world wide web. Website http://www.fotopedia.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “Fotonauts Garners $2,499,998 Series A Round”
Rue La La Opens San Francisco Deals Site
Boston-based Rue La La, the private sale and shopping site, said today it has opened a local deals site in San Francisco called Rue San Francisco. It’s part of a broader effort, called Rue Local, that has rolled out local deals sites for Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, and (earlier this summer) Washington DC, Los Angeles, and … Continue reading “Rue La La Opens San Francisco Deals Site”
New York Throws Down Silicon Gauntlet at Boston’s Feet at Tech Meetup
A bit of chest-thumping kicked off last night’s NY Tech Meetup, a large gathering of startups grown in New York. Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel took the stage with Seth Pinsky, president of the New York Economic Development Corp., at the onset to push Applied Sciences NYC—a plan to build up the … Continue reading “New York Throws Down Silicon Gauntlet at Boston’s Feet at Tech Meetup”
M/A-COM Seeks $230M IPO
Lowell, MA-based M/A-COM Technology Solutions indicated in an SEC filing that it seeks to raise $230 million through an initial public offering. The company, which makes wireless chips, is owned by the semiconductor-focused private equity fund GaAs Labs, whose owner John Ocampo bought the firm for around $90 million in 2009. Lead underwriters for the … Continue reading “M/A-COM Seeks $230M IPO”
New York Hedge Fund Makes $378 Million Bid for Amag in Attempt to Block Poorly Received Merger
Shares of Lexington, MA-based Amag Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMAG]]) are up 10 percent today to $15.77 on news of an unsolicited takeover offer from New York-based hedge fund MSMB Capital Management. The hedge fund is offering $18 a share to acquire Amag, which markets a drug to treat iron-deficiency anemia. The bid comes in the wake … Continue reading “New York Hedge Fund Makes $378 Million Bid for Amag in Attempt to Block Poorly Received Merger”
Acceleron Gets $25 Million in Partnership Deal With Celgene
Cambridge, MA-based Acceleron Pharma is broadening its anemia research partnership with Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]), the Summit, NJ-based biotech giant, according to a press release. The companies, which have been collaborating since 2008, have formed a new joint development and commercialization deal for ACE-536, a compound that treats anemia. Celgene will make an upfront payment of … Continue reading “Acceleron Gets $25 Million in Partnership Deal With Celgene”
Help Scout Looks To Boost Collaboration For Businesses’ “Catch-All” E-Mail Inboxes
It’s probably reassuring for online shoppers and the like to know that the generic-sounding address they e-mail—-usually dubbed something like help, service, or contact @xyz.com—is actually manned by people and not robots. And TechStars Boston 2011 graduate Help Scout is looking to make life easier for the humans that are responding to those queries. “We … Continue reading “Help Scout Looks To Boost Collaboration For Businesses’ “Catch-All” E-Mail Inboxes”
Carbonite Eyes $122M IPO, Plexxi Nabs $20M, Ambient Hits Nasdaq, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Plenty of New England startups across IT and biotech sectors inked investments from area venture capitalists this week. —Interactions, a speech and customer service technology developer of Franklin, MA, nabbed $12 million in a deal led by Sigma Partners. Interactions said it will use the money—which also comes from North Hill Ventures, Cross Atlantic Capital … Continue reading “Carbonite Eyes $122M IPO, Plexxi Nabs $20M, Ambient Hits Nasdaq, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
On-Q-ity Founder and Genzyme Vet, Mara Aspinall, Moves to Roche’s Ventana Medical
Mara Aspinall, the founder and former CEO of Waltham, MA-based On-Q-ity, has moved on to become president of Ventana Medical Systems, an Arizona-based division of healthcare giant Roche that focuses on cancer diagnostics. The appointment was announced in a press release today and is effective next month. Aspinall is well known in the diagnostics world, … Continue reading “On-Q-ity Founder and Genzyme Vet, Mara Aspinall, Moves to Roche’s Ventana Medical”
Sermo Offers Mobile Consults
Doctors can now immediately tap the wisdom of remote experts with just the click of a button, thanks to new mobile technology from Cambridge, MA-based Sermo. The company, which operates the largest online network of doctors in the U.S., today unveiled its Sermo mobile application for Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The app includes iConsult, … Continue reading “Sermo Offers Mobile Consults”
Knome Nabs $5M
A Cambridge, MA-based personal genomics company has raised $5 million from one investor in a round that could eventually total $20 million, according to a regulatory filing. Launched in 2007 by the famed Harvard geneticist George Church, Knome offers wealthy consumers the chance to have their entire genomes sequenced and analyzed by the company’s scientists. … Continue reading “Knome Nabs $5M”
Ambient Moves to Nasdaq
Newton, MA-based Ambient (OTC: [[ticker:ABTGD]]), a maker of technology for smart grid connectivity and communications, expects to start trading tomorrow on the Nasdaq market under the ticker symbol “AMBT,” the company announced today. It will continue to trade today under its current symbol on the OTC Bulletin Board.
Kendall Square Innovation Festival, t=0, to Feature Brad Feld, Mitch Kapor, and (Probably) Entrepreneurial Walk of Fame, September 16-18
What time is it? Time to start looking forward to September events in the Boston tech world. Xconomy has been hearing rumors about a big festival happening around Kendall Square next month. t=0, as it is being called, will kick off on the afternoon of September 16 and last through the 18th. We don’t have … Continue reading “Kendall Square Innovation Festival, t=0, to Feature Brad Feld, Mitch Kapor, and (Probably) Entrepreneurial Walk of Fame, September 16-18”
You’d Better Shop Around: Doing Due Diligence on Your VC
For a first-time entrepreneur, dealing with a venture capitalist can involve an equal mix of excitement and apprehension. If the VC has any sort of reputation or prominence, entrepreneurs are often grateful simply to be pitching their idea in the first place. Should discussions get far enough along that a term sheet is offered, a … Continue reading “You’d Better Shop Around: Doing Due Diligence on Your VC”
Beacon Endoscopic Raises $5M for Diagnostics
Newton, MA-based Beacon Endoscopic, a medical device startup, said yesterday it has closed $5 million in Series B financing from MVM Life Science Partners, based in London and Boston. The company also said it has received new capital from existing angel investors. Beacon has developed a fine needle aspiration system for endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic … Continue reading “Beacon Endoscopic Raises $5M for Diagnostics”
Scallop Imaging Leads Micro-Cluster of Boston Companies Trying to Reinvent Camera Tech
Here in the Boston area we like hard technologies. We like companies with weird names. We like companies that have vision. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Tenebraex, SiOnyx, and MC10. They are the micro-cluster of imaging tech companies. They are working on a mix of far-out stuff and closer-in products, with a multiple-focus … Continue reading “Scallop Imaging Leads Micro-Cluster of Boston Companies Trying to Reinvent Camera Tech”
Knome Receives $5,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a6c79def-7fe1-4ca3-b461-af390b81a761&Preview=1 Date 8/2/2011 Company Name Knome Mailing Address 1 Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Knome provides whole genome sequencing and analysis services to biomedical researchers and motivated families seeking to understand the genetic underpinnings of human disease. Led by internationally recognized scientists, clinicians and bioinformaticians, Knome has been responsible for … Continue reading “Knome Receives $5,000,000 New Round”
MassTLC 2011 Innovation unConference
This famously unorganized event is back for another year. Entrepreneurs, VCs, and other innovators show up and decide which topics they’d like to tackle in small, interactive discussions. Get the details here.
Breakfast Seminar: Without Data, Sustainability is an Empty Suit, Session 1
This breakfast-time event from the Mass Technology Leadership Council will explore just how much of a part data has to play in increasing environmental sustainability. Stay tuned for the companies who will share how they’re developing technology to contribute to the cause. More information here
2011 Mass Technology Leadership Awards
Come find out who the MTLC considers the best in technologies, companies, and people throughout the state’s innovation ecosystem. Registration is here.
Pathogenetix Nabs $4M
Pathogenetix, a Woburn, MA-based company formerly named U.S. Genomics, has raised $4 million of an equity offering that could total $9.5 million, an SEC filing shows. Last November, the firm, which develops biodefense and diagnostic technologies, raised $900,000 of a debt-based round and $1.3 million in an equity financing—the latter of which was bumped up … Continue reading “Pathogenetix Nabs $4M”
Merck Submits Ariad Drug to EU
Cambridge, MA-based Ariad Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARIA]]) said today that its partner, Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) has submitted an application to the European Union for clearance to start selling ridaforolimus as a new treatment for sarcomas. Merck plans to submit its application for FDA approval soon, Ariad said. Data on a pivotal clinical trial for the new … Continue reading “Merck Submits Ariad Drug to EU”
Progress Software Chief Richard Reidy Stepping Down; Successor To Be Named
When Progress Software CEO Richard Reidy told me in December about a “major transition” and a “whole new strategy” for the company, he wasn’t kidding. The transition, it turns out, involves himself. Bedford, MA-based Progress (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PRGS]]) announced today that Reidy will leave the company once a successor is named; a search is under way. … Continue reading “Progress Software Chief Richard Reidy Stepping Down; Successor To Be Named”
Video Startup 1Minute40Seconds Looks to Help People and Organizations Tell Engaging Stories
Blade Kotelly thinks that any Radio Shack salesman and Steve Jobs are telling the same exact story. Jobs is just better it at. That would be: “Here’s the problem, here’s the product, here’s the call to action,” he says. It all plays into Kotelly’s theory that there are the same few story lines recycled throughout … Continue reading “Video Startup 1Minute40Seconds Looks to Help People and Organizations Tell Engaging Stories”