It’s not often I get a chance to chat about men’s fashion in a public forum. Well, it ain’t gonna happen this time either. That’s because I know next to nothing about fashion (just ask my colleagues)—but I do know something about the technology industry, and the fascinating stories of the people behind today’s leading … Continue reading “Gilt Groupe’s Alexandra Wilkis Wilson at XSITE This Thursday: We’ll Talk Company Culture, Challenges, Growth Strategy”
Category: Boston
Why Twitter Matters Now in Biotech, and Why Executives Can’t Ignore it Anymore
Two years ago, I caved in to the pressure and signed up for a Twitter account. I had been resisting for months. Millions of people were flocking to the 140-character microblogging service, but from what I could see then, it looked like a time-wasting fad. Hardly anybody in the business I write about, biotechnology, was … Continue reading “Why Twitter Matters Now in Biotech, and Why Executives Can’t Ignore it Anymore”
MIT’s Bob Langer Strikes Again, Wins Priestley Medal
You know you’ve accomplished something in life when somebody gives you an award named after the guy who discovered oxygen. That was the position MIT bioengineering professor Bob Langer found himself in last week, when he took home another biggie—the Priestley Medal. This prize, the highest honor given by the American Chemical Society, usually doesn’t … Continue reading “MIT’s Bob Langer Strikes Again, Wins Priestley Medal”
Agrivida Lands $2,000,157 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=66e080ba-9895-49f5-a4e3-4fee15449ea3&Preview=1 Date 6/13/2011 Company Name Agrivida Mailing Address 411 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Agrivida is an agricultural biotechnology company focused on creating renewable, biomass-based alternative fuels and raw materials. We are developing corn varieties that are optimized for producing ethanol from corn stover, otherwise known as cellulosic ethanol. Corn … Continue reading “Agrivida Lands $2,000,157 New Funding Round”
Apple: The New Headquarters of Computing
You probably thought that the biggest news out of Apple this week was about iCloud, the new cloud data sharing service unveiled at the World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco. Or maybe you’d point to iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s operating system for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, or Lion, the … Continue reading “Apple: The New Headquarters of Computing”
Aria Shows Drug Data at ASCO, Pfizer Supports Selecta, WPI Adds Big Pharma Partners, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
Massachusetts drug developers and research institutions have nabbed funding, inked partnerships, and revealed clinical data this week. —Constellation Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, MA-based developer of epigenetic drugs, grabbed another $15 million in extensions to its Series B financing, bringing the funding round’s total to $37 million. The money comes from returning investors Third Rock Ventures, The … Continue reading “Aria Shows Drug Data at ASCO, Pfizer Supports Selecta, WPI Adds Big Pharma Partners, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
ParElastic Lands $1,500,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f8c09065-ce28-45bc-a513-03a77092451d&Preview=1 Date 6/10/2011 Company Name ParElastic Mailing Address 1050 Winter St. Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description ParElastic is an elastic database middle-ware that creates a virtual elastic relational database from a collection of unaffiliated, free-running, industry standard relational databases. Website http://www.parelastic.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “ParElastic Lands $1,500,000 New Financing”
CommonAngels Leads $1.5M Seed Round for ParElastic
ParElastic, a developer of middleware for running big data applications more efficiently on the cloud, said it has closed a $1.5 million seed funding round, led by CommonAngels, with participation from Launch Capital and other investors. John Landry will be joining the company’s board of directors. The company is setting up a development center in Toronto … Continue reading “CommonAngels Leads $1.5M Seed Round for ParElastic”
BMS & Others Partner with WPI
Today Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) announced that Abbott Laboratories, New York-based Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Shire Human Genetic Therapies of Cambridge, MA, will be inaugural partners of the school’s Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center, which is under construction. The facility, which is partially funded by a Massachusetts Life Sciences Center grant, is expected to be ready in … Continue reading “BMS & Others Partner with WPI”
Wikets Whips Up $1.5M
Wikets, a new Lexington, MA-based social Web startup, has raised $1.5 million in equity-based funding from nine investors, an SEC filing shows. The company’s website says its technology enables users to exchange ideas with people they trust. Andrew Park and Vijay Manwani, both veterans of data center software provider BladeLogic (acquired by BMC Software in … Continue reading “Wikets Whips Up $1.5M”
Krush Comes Out of Stealth, Driving to Own the “Product Graph” for Action Sports Fans, Brands
What do you get when you cross a Jewish guy from Argentina with a Turkish Muslim from London, and a female entrepreneur from New York who, by all accounts, shouldn’t even be alive? Answer: You get Krush. The Cambridge, MA-based Internet startup is unveiling its new site today. The company has an intriguing vision for … Continue reading “Krush Comes Out of Stealth, Driving to Own the “Product Graph” for Action Sports Fans, Brands”
Tell Us Why You’re Mad—or What Will Make You Glad: We Are Looking for Rants and Recommendations on Entrepreneurship
We know you’re out there. You have gripes about the way innovation is done, in Boston or beyond—or ideas for how to make entrepreneurship and innovation even better. Maybe one of those pet peeves is that Silicon Valley is poaching all the hot young tech talent from the East Coast. We get it. We’ve all … Continue reading “Tell Us Why You’re Mad—or What Will Make You Glad: We Are Looking for Rants and Recommendations on Entrepreneurship”
Bob Langer’s Selecta Wins Support From Diabetes Foundation for Research Collaboration
Ever since 2004, when the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) started a program called Industry Discovery and Development Partnership, it has awarded $75 million to 32 companies that are developing entirely new approaches to combating Type 1 diabetes. Today, the New York-based foundation announced the newest recipient of funding and research support under that program: … Continue reading “Bob Langer’s Selecta Wins Support From Diabetes Foundation for Research Collaboration”
ADmantX Receives $2,800,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9ed12c7a-2a62-45a2-86b4-e59b9f653b1b&Preview=1 Date 6/9/2011 Company Name ADmantX Mailing Address Undisclosed Hartford, CT 06105 Company Description The company uses semantic and natural language processing trends to help advertisers and agencies develop effective online advertising campaigns. Website http://www.admantx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,800,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Funding will be used to … Continue reading “ADmantX Receives $2,800,000 New Financing Round”
Gelesis Obtains $2,555,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9067396a-e8eb-4f31-9148-dc3cc3c8d07f&Preview=1 Date 6/9/2011 Company Name Gelesis Mailing Address 222 Berkeley St Boston, MA 02116 Company Description Gelesis is a Boston-based company developing a breakthrough treatment for obesity and other related co-morbidities. Website http://www.gelesis.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,555,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory … Continue reading “Gelesis Obtains $2,555,000 New Funding”
Wikets Lands $1,500,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=49f9b7c7-3421-4a97-a894-f3cfb7726a46&Preview=1 Date 6/9/2011 Company Name Wikets Mailing Address 425 Woburn St. Lexington, MA 02420 Company Description The company is developing technology that enables users to exchange ideas with people they know and trust. Website http://www.wikets.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “Wikets Lands $1,500,000 New Funding”
GrabCAD Grabs Cash
Estonia- and Cambridge, MA-based startup GrabCAD announced today via TechCrunch that it has raised $1.1 million in seed funding from Boston-area investors Matrix Partners, Atlas Venture, NextView Ventures, and angel investors. GrabCAD, a member of the current class of TechStars Boston startups, has developed an online marketplace for connecting mechanical design engineers with manufacturing and … Continue reading “GrabCAD Grabs Cash”
Breakfast Roundtable: Preparing for Growth and Exits During Fundraising
Come hear about planning an exit as a startup from someone who knows about it firsthand: Jerry King, COO of Where.com. You’ll get a VC’s and lawyer’s perspective, too. Register here for this panel event.
TCN Expert Lunch: Financial Accounting 101 for Life Sciences Entrepreneurs
This luncheon aims to educate life sciences CEOs and CFOs on financial reporting, accounting and tax considerations specific to their industry. Sign up online.
Pfizer Forms $100M Research Partnership with Boston-Area Schools and Hospitals
Let’s see if this produces some much-needed new drugs for Pfizer’s pipeline. The New York City-based pharmaceutical giant (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) announced today it is starting a five-year, $100 million research collaboration in Boston with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard University, Partners HealthCare, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts … Continue reading “Pfizer Forms $100M Research Partnership with Boston-Area Schools and Hospitals”
TCN Networking for Fundraising Success
The Capital Network, Boston Women in Finance, and the CFO Roundtable are putting together this good old fashioned networking event. Register here to mingle with entrepreneurs, VCs, angel investors, and more.
The Final Xpo Startup for XSITE on June 16… and What Might Have Been
What do recycling and a rectal exam have in common? Well, people tend to put off both things as long as they can. And, OK, they’re both a little more difficult (and one is a lot more uncomfortable) than you’d like them to be. I can even speak with, shall we say, recent authority on … Continue reading “The Final Xpo Startup for XSITE on June 16… and What Might Have Been”
Don’t Discount Biofuels
As one who’s spent a lifetime chasing the quest of a practical, sustainable bioeconomy – I have sympathy for biofuel skeptics. Let’s face it; petroleum is an incumbent that has no match in political or economic strength. But it is hard to deny the convergence of historical and technological trends that suggest a sustainable biofuel … Continue reading “Don’t Discount Biofuels”
The Critical Need for Lean Thinking in Healthcare Today
To borrow a term from the military, we live in a VUCA world—Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Unfortunately, healthcare’s traditional hierarchical management approach lacks the flexibility, adaptive agility, or innovative energy to meet the challenges of this new world. However, every employee at every healthcare institution has the ability to identify waste and enact long … Continue reading “The Critical Need for Lean Thinking in Healthcare Today”
Admantx Adds $2.8M
Hartford, CT-based Admantx, a maker of semantic-based online advertising technology, announced today that it has taken in $2.8 million in first-round funding from Atlante Ventures Mezzogiorno, the venture capital fund of the Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo.The funding will go towards sales and marketing for Admantx, which was spun off last year from the semantic software … Continue reading “Admantx Adds $2.8M”
General Compression Pulls In $20.4M, Constellation Nabs $15M, PolyRemedy Wraps Up $20M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Financing news kept flowing this week from New England startups developing software, medical device, drug, and cleantech products. —Ziptr, a Burlington, MA-based maker of software focused on business privacy and compliance, pinned down $6.8 million in equity financing from 26 investors. —Lumicell Diagnostics, a portfolio company of Waltham, MA-based Kodiak Venture Partners that’s developing a … Continue reading “General Compression Pulls In $20.4M, Constellation Nabs $15M, PolyRemedy Wraps Up $20M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Universities Are Key to Revitalizing Boston’s Startup Scene, Say Leaders of Angel Bootcamp, Harvard Innovation Lab, and MassChallenge
Commencement season is coming to a close, which means a lot of students and recent graduates are leaving town. That might be a good thing if you’re trying to get a seat at Crema Café near Harvard or Flour Bakery near MIT, but it ain’t good for local startups. The brain drain of Boston-area tech … Continue reading “Universities Are Key to Revitalizing Boston’s Startup Scene, Say Leaders of Angel Bootcamp, Harvard Innovation Lab, and MassChallenge”
ASCO Wrap-Up: The Skinny on Cancer News From All Corners of the U.S.
Whoever came up with the phrase “drinking from the fire hose,” could have easily been thinking of the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. The information on cancer R&D has been flowing furiously the past few days at ASCO, which draws about 30,000 cancer doctors, drug company executives, investors, and journalists. I didn’t attend … Continue reading “ASCO Wrap-Up: The Skinny on Cancer News From All Corners of the U.S.”
PolyRemedy, Pivoted from Med Device to IT-based Healthcare Service Company, Raises $20M Series C Round
PolyRemedy, a Concord, MA- and Mountain View, CA-based healthcare startup, has secured $20 million in a new Series C funding to fuel what president and CEO Mark Carbeau calls its “Netflix of wound care” business. The deal was led by new investor Delphi Ventures of Menlo Park, CA. Previous PolyRemedy backers—MedVenture Associates, Advanced Technology Ventures … Continue reading “PolyRemedy, Pivoted from Med Device to IT-based Healthcare Service Company, Raises $20M Series C Round”
FRX Polymers Garners $15,700,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3bf49c99-f46f-4d5c-a015-a911c2b0a23b&Preview=1 Date 6/7/2011 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 Garners $15,700,000 Series B Financing”
Beyond Sakti3: Researchers in Boston, London Explore Electric-Car Battery Technologies
Sakti3 is one of Michigan’s most high-profile startups, whose solid state, lithium ion batteries have won funding from General Motors and Khosla Ventures and plaudits by MIT’s Technology Review. Such technology could revolutionize electric cars by packing more energy into a battery that occupies much less space under the hood than existing batteries. With less … Continue reading “Beyond Sakti3: Researchers in Boston, London Explore Electric-Car Battery Technologies”
UTest Brings Crowdsourced QA Testing to Early Stage Web Startups (We Have Discount Codes Too)
Southborough, MA-based uTest hit the market with its crowdsourced quality assurance testing service in a slightly unconventional order. UTest first introduced its “full strength” software-as-a-service for more mature, enterprise-level Web companies in 2008, and has nabbed big customers like Google, Microsoft, Intuit, Myspace, and Thomson Reuters. Clients indicate the type of testing they want, uTest … Continue reading “UTest Brings Crowdsourced QA Testing to Early Stage Web Startups (We Have Discount Codes Too)”
Ariad and Merck Say Sarcoma Drug Improves Survival
Whitehouse Station, NJ-based Merck and Cambridge-based Ariad announced positive results from a Phase 3 study of their sarcoma drug, ridaforolimus, at the conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today. Ridaforolimus blocks the mTOR protein, a master biological switch that allows tumors to grow and thrive. The study showed a 28 percent reduction in … Continue reading “Ariad and Merck Say Sarcoma Drug Improves Survival”
Constellation Pharma Raises $15M for Epigenetic Drugs
Cambridge, MA-based Constellation Pharmaceuticals said today it has raised $15 million in a Series B extension from its existing investors, including Third Rock Ventures, The Column Group, Venrock Associates, SR One, and Altitude Life Science Ventures. Constellation, whose Series B now totals $37 million (after a $32 million A round in 2008-09) is working to … Continue reading “Constellation Pharma Raises $15M for Epigenetic Drugs”
The Quest For Biotech Independence: Maybe It Isn’t So Quixotic After All
Conventional wisdom a couple years ago said that the era of the independent biotech giant was over. Nobody would ever again build a multi-billion dollar, fully integrated independent biopharma company on the scale of an Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]), or even a Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]). Drug development is too risky, time-consuming, and expensive. Investors, tired … Continue reading “The Quest For Biotech Independence: Maybe It Isn’t So Quixotic After All”
Constellation Pharmaceuticals Garners $15,000,000 Series B Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e96ad44f-d236-4879-88b1-b8256b123c79&Preview=1 Date 6/6/2011 Company Name Constellation Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 148 Sidney Street Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Constellation Pharmaceuticals is the first biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics in the emerging field of Epigenetics, a new field of science which is focused on selective regulators of epigenetic function, which … Continue reading “Constellation Pharmaceuticals Garners $15,000,000 Series B Funding”
Dear Apple: Go Big with Siri and Nuance in iOS 5
As someone who served on the boards of Siri and Nuance—two companies whose technologies are rumored to be deeply integrated into Apple’s upcoming iOS 5—I might have a unique take on what’s possible at the upcoming Apple World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC ) in San Francisco June 6-10. I throw my speculations into the ring … Continue reading “Dear Apple: Go Big with Siri and Nuance in iOS 5”
MassEcon 18th Annual Conference
This conference will explore what’s needed for collaboration between academia, medicine, and industry. Speakers come from organizations such as WPI, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, and IBM. Register here.
Emerging Markets: Opportunities in Healthcare
This panel will offer insight to entering markets like China and India as healthcare entrepreneurs. Panelists from healthcare firms and startups will explore the considerations in IP, regulatory requirements, and cultures. Email here for more info and to RSVP.
The Next Boston-Area IPO, New Incubators, Unsung Heroes, and the Lost (& Found) Generation: 10 Tech Tidbits
As we enter the summer months, I wanted to give readers a quick look into my reporter’s notebook. I have been shifting into high gear with events and other things, but once the storm passes I’ll be writing more again. Meanwhile, I’m hearing tons of interesting stuff from the local startup and innovation community, some … Continue reading “The Next Boston-Area IPO, New Incubators, Unsung Heroes, and the Lost (& Found) Generation: 10 Tech Tidbits”
Wolf Greenfield Seminar: What Every Start-Up Needs to Know: Safeguarding the Value of Your IP
This seminar aims to give entrepreneurs advice on how to protect their technology developments. Investors, entrepreneurs, and lawyers will dish on the subject. Sign up for the event here.
Getting the Dough to Develop: Video Game Funding
At this event, the MIT Enterprise Forum’s New England Games SIG will help hopeful game developers consider how to go about financing their venture. VCs, game developers and publishers will weigh in on the subject. Register here.
2011 WEST Leadership Awards
Women Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology is holding its fourth annual leadership awards. The organization will be recognizing women from Microsoft, oneforty, Syndax, and Cytonome. Register here to hear their stories.
General Compression Grabs $20.4M
General Compression, a Newton, MA-based energy storage technology company, has pinned down $20.4 million in equity financing from four investors, an SEC filing shows. Last year the company raised a $20.9 million Series A round, from Duke Energy, U.S. Renewables Group, and Northwater Intellectual Property Fund.
Silicon Chef: A Half-Baked Guide to Food Startups
[Updated 12/06/12 with additional listings] When the ex-CEO of Pure Digital, maker of the famous Flip pocket camcorder, wins funding from Sequoia Capital to open a chain of grilled cheese sandwich shops, it may be time to abandon your own enterprise-cloud-marketing-analytics-automation venture or your social-mobile-deals-gamification startup and think about getting into the food business. I was … Continue reading “Silicon Chef: A Half-Baked Guide to Food Startups”
Ariad and Infinity to Reveal Data at ASCO, Excelimmune Gets $10.5M, Hologic Buys TCT, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
You wouldn’t know we had a holiday this week, with the rate Boston life sciences companies are pumping out news. They’ve inked partnerships, announced fundings, made acquisitions, and are gearing up for a big medical convention this weekend. —Cambridge, MA-based Ariad Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARIA]]) will reveal data from a clinical trial of its drug ridaforolimus to … Continue reading “Ariad and Infinity to Reveal Data at ASCO, Excelimmune Gets $10.5M, Hologic Buys TCT, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
General Compression Obtains $20,391,368 Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8195f922-2f00-4abe-8a93-6338adef1456&Preview=1 Date 6/3/2011 Company Name General Compression Mailing Address 275 Washington Street Newton, MA 02458 Company Description We are engineers, scientists, investors, and project developers, all committed to expanding clean power. General Compression’s systems are being developed to provide utility-scale storage and firming services for clean energy sources such as wind and … Continue reading “General Compression Obtains $20,391,368 Series B Financing Round”
Virtify Secures $5,500,000 Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=08e7b05c-c154-4b0e-b2dc-9ad11a84c8ed&Preview=1 Date 6/3/2011 Company Name Virtify Mailing Address 55 Cambridge Parkway Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Virtify is the market leader in Enterprise Content Compliance solutions for life sciences. Organizations rely on Virtify to reduce time-to-market, risk, and costs by managing and automating the complex regulatory compliance and content exchange requirements throughout … Continue reading “Virtify Secures $5,500,000 Series B Financing Round”
Join a Q&A with Tech Founders David Cancel, Joe Chung, Jules Pieri, and Ellen Rubin at XSITE 2011 on June 16
Founding a startup means facing so many hazards and unknowns that it can feel like establishing a new country. How are you going to encourage immigration to build up your population (i.e., customers)? How do you husband your natural resources (capital) and attract strong leaders (employees)? What if your constitution (your business plan) needs to … Continue reading “Join a Q&A with Tech Founders David Cancel, Joe Chung, Jules Pieri, and Ellen Rubin at XSITE 2011 on June 16”
Hologic Buys TCT International
Hologic (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HOLX]]), a Bedford, MA-based developer of diagnostic and medical imaging devices, announced today that it has bought Beijing-based TCT International for $135 million in cash, with $35 million of that deferred for one year, plus a two-year contingent earn out. TCT is a distributor of medical products and instruments in China, including Hologic’s … Continue reading “Hologic Buys TCT International”