Successful businesses take pride in knowing their customers, listening to them, and exceeding their expectations. They evolve their products, services, pricing, terms, and distribution based on what the market is looking for and how the landscape is changing—not on what worked in the past. This quality has never been more important than in the past … Continue reading “The Brave New World of Enterprise Television”
Category: Boston
Triangulating VC Activity: Third Survey Shows Q1 Increase in Invested Capital
Another survey on venture capital activity during the first quarter shows that venture investors put $6.4 billion into 661 startups nationwide. That’s a 35 percent increase in capital and a 5 percent rise in deals, according to the report from Dow Jones VentureSource. It’s the third survey to show a substantial increase in the amount … Continue reading “Triangulating VC Activity: Third Survey Shows Q1 Increase in Invested Capital”
EBay’s $135M Acquisition of Where Could Drive PayPal’s Mobile Future; Boston CEOs React to Another Silicon Valley Buyer
[Updated 4/24/11. See comment below] Chalk up another $100 million-plus purchase of a Boston-area mobile technology company. First there was m-Qube, then Third Screen Media, Enpocket, Starent Networks, Quattro Wireless, and now, Where. Their acquirers read like a who’s who of tech giants: VeriSign, AOL, Nokia, Cisco, Apple, and now, eBay. Indeed, Boston-based Where’s purchase … Continue reading “EBay’s $135M Acquisition of Where Could Drive PayPal’s Mobile Future; Boston CEOs React to Another Silicon Valley Buyer”
BG Medicine Chief Speaks on Rough IPO Climate, (Finally) Going Public
BG Medicine (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BGMD]]) took the long road to becoming a public company, scrapping its first attempt in 2008 and then spending just more than a year to wrap up its second IPO campaign this past February. In a recent interview, Pieter Muntendam, the CEO of the Waltham, MA-based medical diagnostic company, told me how BG … Continue reading “BG Medicine Chief Speaks on Rough IPO Climate, (Finally) Going Public”
Humedica Lands $20,000,002 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b834a756-77dc-403b-9440-5af1e505420a&Preview=1 Date 4/21/2011 Company Name Humedica Mailing Address 1380 Soldiers Field Rd. Boston, MA 02135 Company Description Humedica is a next-generation health care informatics company that provides novel SaaS-based clinical business intelligence solutions. We connect patient information across varied medical settings and time periods to generate a truly longitudinal and comprehensive view … Continue reading “Humedica Lands $20,000,002 New Funding Round”
Humedica Lands $20M Round
Humedica, a Boston-based clinical informatics company, has raised $20 million in a round of equity financing, according to an SEC filing. The firm, which previously raised $30 million from Bain Capital Ventures, General Catalyst Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners, and the investment bank Leerink Swann in summer 2008, came out of stealth mode in September … Continue reading “Humedica Lands $20M Round”
MassCEC Announces New Solar Initiative
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center said today that it will launch an initiative called Solarize Massachusetts to encourage residents and businesses to adopt solar photovoltaic panels on a community-wide level. The program will deploy in the four pilot communities of Harvard, Hatfield, Scituate, and Winchester initially, and will use education, marketing, and group purchasing to … Continue reading “MassCEC Announces New Solar Initiative”
HBA Boston – Innovation in the Age of Collaboration, Reconstructing the Value Chain
This panel, put on by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, will explore the different routes a medical innovation can take to becoming a product on the market, from speakers on both the industry and academic sides. Register here.
How to Build Community in a Networked Economy
This event, sponsored by the Kendall Square Association, aims to take a look at how businesses, developers, and innovators can play a part in shaping their communities. Speakers include Professor Brent Ryan of MIT, Diane Paulus, Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge; Thomas Andrews, Executive Vice President and Regional Market Director, Alexandria Real … Continue reading “How to Build Community in a Networked Economy”
Ariad Extends Three Tech Licensing Deals
Ariad Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ARIA]]), a Cambridge, MA-based developer of cancer drugs, said today it extended licenses to its cell-signaling regulation technology to three separate groups, all of which are using the technology for different purposes. Bellicum Pharmaceuticals of Houston, TX, is developing the technology for its experimental cancer vaccine and cell therapies; Washington, DC-based ReGenX Biosciences … Continue reading “Ariad Extends Three Tech Licensing Deals”
What do Desh Deshpande, Gilt Groupe, Nobelist Phil Sharp, & Intellectual Ventures Have in Common? All Are Keynoting at XSITE 2011-The Entrepreneurship Era
For the past two years, Xconomy has pulled out all the stops to throw a full-day conference in June called XSITE—the Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. In that short amount of time, this cross-disciplinary event, spanning the Internet and other areas of IT, life sciences, energy, healthtech, and more, has become one of … Continue reading “What do Desh Deshpande, Gilt Groupe, Nobelist Phil Sharp, & Intellectual Ventures Have in Common? All Are Keynoting at XSITE 2011-The Entrepreneurship Era”
Where Acquired by eBay
Boston-based Where, a developer of technology for location-based mobile advertising and services, has been acquired by San Jose, CA-based eBay (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EBAY]]), according to a post today on the PayPal (part of eBay) blog. Financial terms were not revealed, but the acquisition of Where is expected to close later this quarter. Last December, Where, which has … Continue reading “Where Acquired by eBay”
Bluebird Bio Snaps up $30M for Gene Therapies, Adds ARCH Venture to Syndicate
Investors are rewarding Bluebird Bio for wracking up accolades with its experimental gene therapies for serious genetic diseases. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm has brought in $30 million in a Series C round of funding, just over year after investors pumped $35 million into the firm in its second-round financing. ARCH Venture Partners joined the … Continue reading “Bluebird Bio Snaps up $30M for Gene Therapies, Adds ARCH Venture to Syndicate”
Zipcar Goes Public, PTC Buys MKS, Third Rock Leads $18.3M Series B for Taris, & More Boston-Area Deals News
This week we’ve seen a slew of startup financings and an IPO in the New England area. —Third Rock Ventures became an investor in Taris Biomedical, leading an $18.3 million Series B financing for the MIT spinout. The company will use the money to advance its drug-delivery device, for treating a variety of bladder ailments. … Continue reading “Zipcar Goes Public, PTC Buys MKS, Third Rock Leads $18.3M Series B for Taris, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
bluebird bio Receives $30,000,000 Series C Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1c8f56fb-3102-4b46-a848-33e54811ea66&Preview=1 Date 4/20/2011 Company Name bluebird bio Mailing Address 840 Memorial Drive Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description bluebird bio is developing innovative gene therapies for severe genetic disorders. At the heart of bluebird bio’s product creation efforts is its broadly applicable gene therapy platform for the development of novel treatments for diseases … Continue reading “bluebird bio Receives $30,000,000 Series C Financing Round”
Link Medicine Garners $4,808,500 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=689da634-c6b5-4881-a50c-c92682222162&Preview=1 Date 4/20/2011 Company Name Link Medicine Mailing Address 161 First Street Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Link Medicine Corporation is focused on utilizing innovative mechanisms to identify and develop disease-modifying neurodegenerative therapies for patients. Website http://www.linkmedicine.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $4,808,500 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not … Continue reading “Link Medicine Garners $4,808,500 New Funding Round”
eBay Acquires Where for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2329e564-4b3c-4f4d-90aa-f58bdb347362&Preview=1 Date 4/20/2011 Company Name Where Mailing Address 60 Canal Street 2nd Floor Boston, MA 02114 Company Description Where is North America’s leading publisher of mobile location services. Our cross-carrier location platform enables the rapid deployment of innovative handset and network-based LBS applications. Website http://www.where.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction … Continue reading “eBay Acquires Where for Undisclosed Sum”
Order Your Next Burger on a Tablet Computer from E La Carte
If you’ve got a touchscreen-based tablet computer, odds are you’ve noticed the way it speeds up tasks like managing e-mail. Doctors and other professionals like them too, for browsing or entering information in the workplace. And now the devices are starting to show up in a more surprising setting—your local burger joint. E la Carte, … Continue reading “Order Your Next Burger on a Tablet Computer from E La Carte”
Four Kinds of Startups
Since part of my job at Redstar Ventures is to meet as many entrepreneurs as possible who might want to co-found a startup with us, I’ve swilled plenty of coffee at Voltage and Peet’s swapping ideas with many a bright, passionate, and inventive entrepreneur. Somewhere into my second gallon of cappuccino, I began to notice … Continue reading “Four Kinds of Startups”
The Bob Langer and Polaris Family Tree: From Acusphere to Momenta to Visterra
Seventeen companies in 18 years. That’s about as prolific as any entrepreneur-VC partnership in history. And when you’re talking about an MIT Institute Professor (and his collaborators) and the co-founder of Polaris Venture Partners (and his colleagues), that adds significant weight to the achievement. Earlier this month, Bob Langer from MIT and Terry McGuire from … Continue reading “The Bob Langer and Polaris Family Tree: From Acusphere to Momenta to Visterra”
OutSmart Adds $1.8M in Debt
OutSmart Power Systems, a Natick, MA-based startup developing a network of software and hardware for energy management and monitoring in commercial buildings, has added $1.8 million to a debt-based funding round that could total $4.5 million, according to an amended SEC filing. The company raised $805,000 toward a $1 million debt offering last October. OutSmart … Continue reading “OutSmart Adds $1.8M in Debt”
Alnylam Inks Deal with Precision NanoSystems
Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALNY]]) has found another partner to help it deliver its gene-silencing drugs to tissues deep in the body. Precision NanoSystems, of Vancouver, British Columbia, has agreed to lend Alnylam its expertise in using its so-called small lipid nanoparticles to potentially deliver RNA-interference (RNAi) drugs, the companies said today. The tiny particles … Continue reading “Alnylam Inks Deal with Precision NanoSystems”
Kohort Obtains $3,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2732f96b-97ae-4fda-84a8-22f20279afa0&Preview=1 Date 4/19/2011 Company Name Kohort Mailing Address 156A Church Street Burlington, VT 05401 Company Description The company is developing as yet unspecified social media technologies. Website http://www.kohort.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor IA Ventures Venture … Continue reading “Kohort Obtains $3,000,000 New Financing”
Business Website in a Day
Here’s a workshop for the non-developer. Execs from Boston-area Web development houses will show entrepreneurs and small business owners how to put together their websites, in a mix of small group sessions and one on ones. Sign up here.
CSN Stores, Amid Rebranding and Financing Rumors, Looks to Become “Amazon for the Home”
It’s pretty impressive what a couple of engineers have built here in the Back Bay. But truth be told, the engineers themselves aren’t all that impressed yet. That’s because they have their eyes on a bigger goal: running a billion-dollar e-commerce company. I’m talking about Niraj Shah and Steve Conine, the co-founders of Boston-based CSN … Continue reading “CSN Stores, Amid Rebranding and Financing Rumors, Looks to Become “Amazon for the Home””
Patriots’ Payday: GMZ, Localytics, and SilverRail Raise Financing Rounds
It wouldn’t be Monday in Boston without a slew of startup financings. On Patriots’ Day, no less—no curbside trash pickup, but plenty of new money to go around in the fields of mobile, travel, and cleantech. —Waltham, MA-based GMZ Energy, a developer of thermoelectric materials and products, has raised $7 million in equity financing out … Continue reading “Patriots’ Payday: GMZ, Localytics, and SilverRail Raise Financing Rounds”
Biotech’s Missed Opportunity: Small-Town and Rural America
The biotech and pharmaceutical industry is full of people who went to the top universities, live in the fanciest neighborhoods, and work for brand-name companies. But this industry needs to start thinking more about millions of people who are mostly an afterthought today. I’m talking about people who live in America’s small cities and rural … Continue reading “Biotech’s Missed Opportunity: Small-Town and Rural America”
‘Not Your Mother’s Coupons’—With a Fresh $7 Million, SavingStar Launches Mobile and Digital Grocery Couponing Service
In the last couple of years, the advent of group buying and daily-deals sites has given consumers regular access to big discounts online for things like whitewater rafting, hot yoga, laser hair removal, and tapas. Meanwhile, the slightly more practical customers have been left with Sunday circulars. Enter SavingStar. The Waltham, MA-based company’s fully digital … Continue reading “‘Not Your Mother’s Coupons’—With a Fresh $7 Million, SavingStar Launches Mobile and Digital Grocery Couponing Service”
Localytics Lands Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0d1f9d6c-ca62-43a0-a819-27b33ca3ce7e&Preview=1 Date 4/18/2011 Company Name Localytics Mailing Address 222 3rd St. Cambridge, MA 02141 Company Description Top app publishers and brands use our powerful analytics to build more successful and profitable mobile applications. Website http://www.localytics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes The funds will be … Continue reading “Localytics Lands Series A Financing”
GMZ Energy Secures $7,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=87faea2d-5a55-4446-8914-43e567b6f347&Preview=1 Date 4/18/2011 Company Name GMZ Energy Mailing Address 11 Wall Street Waltham, MA 02453 Company Description These thermoelectric materials exhibited the first fundamental improvements in almost 50 years. GMZ Energy, a venture-funded company, was founded in 2007 to commercialize materials and devices that leverage these discoveries. Solid state approaches to cooling … Continue reading “GMZ Energy Secures $7,000,000 New Funding Round”
SavingStar Receives $7,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7e74343c-dba0-4ba2-8409-753fe67f061f&Preview=1 Date 4/18/2011 Company Name SavingStar Mailing Address 400-1 Totten Pond Road Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description SavingStar enables consumer packaged goods brands and retailers to promote their products and services to all consumers through fully digital promotion, distribution, and rewards fulfillment. In addition to providing Upromise Grocery, a program through which … Continue reading “SavingStar Receives $7,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
OneView Commerce Receives $1,050,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d3088a38-0ffa-4bcb-94b8-824b84bb70ef&Preview=1 Date 4/18/2011 Company Name OneView Commerce Mailing Address 550 Liberty St. Braintree, MA 02184 Company Description The key differentiators at OneView Commerce are a SOA-based, process-driven application design that gives the retailer complete control over the configuration and business flow of the solution and the depth of our management team and … Continue reading “OneView Commerce Receives $1,050,000 New Round”
CampusLive Receives $3,100,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=44b25fe7-2cc7-46bf-81e5-f099193a69d3&Preview=1 Date 4/17/2011 Company Name CampusLive Mailing Address 108 Lincoln St. Boston, MA 02111 Company Description CampusLIVE is a platform that enables students to connect to brands in fun and exciting ways. We create “engagement” campaigns for sponsors like Ace Ticket, Peter Pan Bus Lines, Comcast, HotelPlanner.com and Big Y Supermarkets. These … Continue reading “CampusLive Receives $3,100,000 New Financing Round”
CampusLive Nabs $3M
CampusLive, a Boston-based Web advertising startup for connecting brands with college students, has raised $3.1 million from Highland Capital Partners and Charles River Ventures, as well as other individual investors, according to a report from Scott Kirsner of the Boston Globe today. Last year the firm, whose founders come from UMass Amherst, raised $340,000 in … Continue reading “CampusLive Nabs $3M”
MassTLC Spring Meeting: The Global Impact of Mobility
Mobile has exploded in Boston and the U.S., but come learn the impact it could have abroad, at this Spring meeting of the Mass Technology Leadership Council. Panelists come from Thomson Reuters, Akamai Technologies, Philips Healthcare, and more. Register here.
MITEF Innovation Series With Bill Joy
This MIT Enterprise Forum Innovation Series event will feature Bill Joy, partner at the VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and the former chief scientist of Sun Microsystems. This fireside chat-style event is sponsored by WilmerHale. Register here.
Venture Investment in New England Companies Is Down from a Year Ago; Here Are the Top 10 Deals from the First Quarter
The latest venture capital stats for the first quarter of 2011 are a mixed bag. Maybe it’ll take a little longer for the Boston area to witness what a lot of people are calling the new tech bubble. Venture firms poured $639 million into 90 New England companies in the first three months of this … Continue reading “Venture Investment in New England Companies Is Down from a Year Ago; Here Are the Top 10 Deals from the First Quarter”
Amylin, Alkermes Shares Jump as EU Regulators Recommend Diabetes Drug
Amylin Pharmaceuticals and its partners, Eli Lilly and Alkermes, have had a rough time in their quest to market the first once-weekly injectable drug for diabetes patients in the U.S. But they have found a more sympathetic set of ears in Europe. San Diego-based Amylin, along with Lilly and Waltham, MA-based Alkermes, said today that … Continue reading “Amylin, Alkermes Shares Jump as EU Regulators Recommend Diabetes Drug”
Reporter’s Notebook: A Dozen Digital Media Discoveries
Every day, I come across loads of interesting material that I’d love to blog about but can’t because I don’t have the time or the right venue. I usually just stick this stuff into Evernote and tell myself I’ll write about it later. Well, it’s later. In today’s column I want to round up a … Continue reading “Reporter’s Notebook: A Dozen Digital Media Discoveries”
FIRST Robotics Encourages Healthy Competition and Strong Relationships With Engineering Field
Last weekend, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) held a Regional Robotics Competition for 53 teams at Boston University’s Agganis Arena. High school students were challenged with the opportunity to test themselves as engineers and problem solvers. The game, called LOGO Motion, pits alliances of three robots against each other and awards … Continue reading “FIRST Robotics Encourages Healthy Competition and Strong Relationships With Engineering Field”
Aveo Adds Termeer to Board, Monsanto Partners With Atlas, Biogen Drug Meets Clinical Goal, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
We saw financings, CEO and board hires, and clinical results from New England area biotechs this week. —Blueprint Medicines, a startup focused on developing personalized cancer treatments, said it nabbed a $40 million Series A financing led by Third Rock Ventures. Mark Levin and Alexis Borisy of Third Rock serve on board of directors at … Continue reading “Aveo Adds Termeer to Board, Monsanto Partners With Atlas, Biogen Drug Meets Clinical Goal, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Yesware Lands $913,961 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1bbf067d-ab89-420f-91af-e1f1123dd08f&Preview=1 Date 4/15/2011 Company Name Yesware Mailing Address 15 Main St. Watertown, MA 02472 Company Description The company provides an online e-mail service optimized for the sales process. Website http://www.Yesware.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $913,961 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms … Continue reading “Yesware Lands $913,961 New Funding”
NextView Grabs $8M of $25M
NextView Ventures, a Cambridge, MA-based micro VC firm launched last summer, has brought in $8.1 million of a $25 million fundraise, an SEC filing shows. Earlier this year, Greg caught up with NextView partner David Beisel (formerly vice president at Venrock), who discussed the fledgling firm’s crop of advisors, and the group of startups it … Continue reading “NextView Grabs $8M of $25M”
Delphi Showcases WiTricity’s Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging Technology at SAE Conference
Randy Sumner takes the hockey puck- like device and holds it several inches above a pad. The light on the device instantly turns on. “Pretty cool, huh?” says Sumner, Delphi’s director of global hybrid vehicle business development. Very cool. Even cooler was the nearby Think City EV parked over a much larger pad. Electricity wirelessly … Continue reading “Delphi Showcases WiTricity’s Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging Technology at SAE Conference”
Merrimack Gets $77M Series G
Cambridge, MA-based cancer drug developer Merrimack Pharmaceuticals said today that it has pinned down $77 million in Series G financing from new and existing backers. The money will go to advancing Merrimack’s pipeline of novel cancer therapies. The company’s investors include Credit Suisse First Boston Next Fund, Crocker Ventures, funds advised by Fred Alger Management, … Continue reading “Merrimack Gets $77M Series G”
MIT Sloan CIO Symposium
This all-day conference will focus on the evolving role of the chief information officer at a company, and how the position can be adapted to the digital business world. The day will feature panels of CEOs and academics, and speakers from companies such as VMware, Iron Mountain, Hubspot, and more. An innovation showcase will conclude … Continue reading “MIT Sloan CIO Symposium”
Zipcar’s $174M IPO and What It Means to the Boston Tech Scene: Some Reactions
Zipcar, the Cambridge, MA-based car-sharing company, has raised $174.3 million in an initial public offering. The company sold about 9.7 million shares at $18 per share—an increase over the 8.3 million shares it originally planned to offer at $14 to $16 apiece—according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The IPO was led by Goldman Sachs and … Continue reading “Zipcar’s $174M IPO and What It Means to the Boston Tech Scene: Some Reactions”
Atlas and Monsanto the Latest VC and Big Co. Getting Close
Cambridge, MA-based Atlas Venture and the agribusiness giant Monsanto (NYSE: [[ticker:MON]]) are working together to find interesting life sciences investments to complement Monsanto’s agriculture business, Monsanto said today. It’s another case of venture firms working with large companies at an early stage. While no financial terms of the agreement were disclosed, the companies called this … Continue reading “Atlas and Monsanto the Latest VC and Big Co. Getting Close”
Currensee Rings Up $4M
Boston-based Currensee, a Web service targeting investors interested in foreign currency markets, said today that it has secured $4 million in funding from North Bridge Venture Partners, Egan-Managed Capital, and Vernon & Park Capital. The Series C financing brings the funding pot to $16.8 million for Currensee, which closed an $8 million Series B round … Continue reading “Currensee Rings Up $4M”
The New Tech Bubble, Biotech Vs. Big Pharma, and More Thoughts from Boston BD Conference
Please excuse this bout of drive-by journalism, but it’s been a very busy couple of weeks for events and news in Xconomy-land. One very impressive local event was the Boston Biotech Business Development Conference on Tuesday (part of the greater Boston Biotech Conference series). The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Back Bay was full of biotech’s … Continue reading “The New Tech Bubble, Biotech Vs. Big Pharma, and More Thoughts from Boston BD Conference”