Big Pharma companies are not exactly known for being nimble, but they have made a couple of quick bam-bam moves in succession to land deals with Cambridge, MA-based Epizyme. The company made news in January when it pocketed $20 million upfront, and lined up another $630 million in development milestones, through a drug discovery partnership … Continue reading “Epizyme, Riding High on Two Big Pharma Deals, Zeroes in on Personalized Cancer Therapy”
Category: Boston
Apperian Garners $9,500,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3fb9272b-d8b9-4b5f-912c-a2050a09b1a0&Preview=1 Date 3/29/2011 Company Name Apperian Mailing Address 27 Wormwood St. Boston, MA 02210 Company Description Apperian currently makes enterprise-class iPhone applications for large companies seeking to engage consumers in new, innovative ways and enhance productivity among their employees and partners. Website http://www.apperian.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $9,500,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Apperian Garners $9,500,000 New Financing Round”
Mobiquity Lands $5,000,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=66c8d0c8-ec89-4473-9fb0-f78f7b6dfca9&Preview=1 Date 3/29/2011 Company Name Mobiquity Mailing Address Undisclosed Boston, MA 02108 Company Description Mobiquity is a strategy-led, implementation driven Mobile Computing professional services firm focused on architecting, developing and deploying custom mobile solutions for the Global 2000. Mobiquity offers a broad range of services for clients seeking to leverage the power … Continue reading “Mobiquity Lands $5,000,000 Series A Funding”
Report Card: How are Local Entrepreneurs Succeeding or Failing
This Boston Entrepreneurs’ Network event will feature entrepreneur and investor Jack Derby to discuss the theme of successes, failures, and lessons learned in startups. Register here for this $10 event.
MIT150 Symposium: Computation and the Transformation of Practically Everything
This event, organized by the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, will take a look at the Information Age and how MIT has contributed. Sessions will explore the role computation has played in finance, politics, entertainment, biology, manufacturing, and more. Register here by April 3.
Tufts Energy Conference: Exploring Energy’s Great Debate
This conference, put on by Tufts, will aim to address chief debates in the energy sector, on subjects lik renewable energy, energy security, transportation, developing nations, and more. Speakers come from government, academia, and the energy industry. Register here for this one.
Bio-IT World Conference & Expo ’11
This conference aims to gather more than 1,700 professionals in the life sciences, pharmaceutical, clinical, healthcare, and IT spaces to explore technologies powering the drug development process. Panels will cover subjects such as hardware, software, bioinformatics, predictive informatics, and IT for clinical operations. Register here.
Ruby on Rails Training: Scaling Rails
Fairhaven Capital is sponsoring this Ruby on Rails training class to increase the talent pool in Boston, so these tickets are discounted more than 50 percent, to $600. Those organizing the class hope it will put attendees two months up the learning curve for becoming an expert in Rails technology for development. Register here.
NetScout to Buy Psytechnics
Westford, MA-based NetScout Systems (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NTCT]]), a network-performance management firm, said today it is acquiring Psytechnics, a software company based in Ipswich, U.K., and Portsmouth, NH. Financial terms of the deal were not given. Psytechnics helps businesses manage the quality of IP voice, video, and telepresence services; the firm says its installed base manages more … Continue reading “NetScout to Buy Psytechnics”
EBay Makes $2.4 Billion Bid for GSI Commerce, But Without RueLaLa
It looks like GSI Commerce (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GSIC]]), the parent company of Boston-based private sale website RueLaLa, is about to become part of eBay—but without RueLaLa attached. The San Jose, CA-based auction giant announced in a press release and conference call this morning that it has agreed to acquire King of Prussia, PA-based GSI for $29.25 … Continue reading “EBay Makes $2.4 Billion Bid for GSI Commerce, But Without RueLaLa”
Emo Labs Gets $1.4M
Waltham, MA-based Emo Labs, a developer of invisible loudspeaker technology to enhance the sound on monitors and flat-screen TVs, has raised $1.4 million of a targeted $2.5 million equity- and rights-based offering, an SEC filing shows. The money comes from 22 investors; the company’s previous investors include Polaris Venture Partners, the Venture Capital Fund of … Continue reading “Emo Labs Gets $1.4M”
How to Maximize Startup Success, Get a Free Book, and Make the Most of VC65 on April 6
Chance favors the prepared startup mind. Excuse the slight variation on an old saying. But with our VC65 conference set to take place on April 6, just 9 days from now, I find myself thinking more and more about what makes a successful startup—and how much of it you can control. A lot, of course, … Continue reading “How to Maximize Startup Success, Get a Free Book, and Make the Most of VC65 on April 6”
$2M for BL Healthcare
BL Healthcare, a Foxboro, MA-based provider of telemedicine products, has raised an additional $2 million in equity, debt, and rights financing to bring its Series A round to $4.9 million, according to an SEC filing. The company previously disclosed that it had raised $2.9 million in the first-round financing in August 2009. According to the … Continue reading “$2M for BL Healthcare”
Vertica CEO Chris Lynch Talks HP Acquisition, Fires Back at Netezza, IBM in “Big Data” Battle
Big data, schmig data. I know, you’re sick of it. Too bad. Let’s get right to the trash talk, shall we? A few weeks ago, Netezza CEO Jim Baum (who’s now part of IBM) was telling me about the competitive landscape in “big data” analytics—the software and machinery that businesses are using these days to … Continue reading “Vertica CEO Chris Lynch Talks HP Acquisition, Fires Back at Netezza, IBM in “Big Data” Battle”
Bigger Isn’t Better: It’s Time for Big Pharma to Break Up Into Little Pharma
Fresh headlines cross my desk almost weekly about the crisis in the pharmaceutical business. Jaw-dropping sums of money, about $65 billion a year, flow into the pursuit of new medicines. Yet every year we hear the same old refrain—a pathetic number of new FDA-approved drugs, just 21 last year—come out the other end. This highly … Continue reading “Bigger Isn’t Better: It’s Time for Big Pharma to Break Up Into Little Pharma”
Emo Labs Secures $1,400,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8713c58c-9172-427c-9a04-adc6d59db880&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2011 Company Name Emo Labs Mailing Address 186 Third Avenue Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Emo Labs’ invisible loudspeaker solutions unify audio and video to create a better multimedia entertainment experience. Website http://www.emolabs.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,400,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “Emo Labs Secures $1,400,000 New Financing Round”
TechStars Takes Off, Jumptap Touts Patents and Partnerships, & Other Tech Tidbits Around Town
There were a number of tech developments this week that I didn’t get a chance to digest yet. That’s in part because I couldn’t eat solid food for, like, two days. Let’s just move on. —As one incubator class (Y Combinator) wrapped up its session on the West Coast, another one got started here on … Continue reading “TechStars Takes Off, Jumptap Touts Patents and Partnerships, & Other Tech Tidbits Around Town”
“Consumer Surplus” from Personal Technology Is Soaring in the Age of Appreciation
It used to be that purchases began depreciating in value the moment you bought them. A new car, for example, might as well come with a little Kelley Blue Book countdown under the odometer showing its declining resale price. Indeed, the idea that property depreciates is so universal that it’s built into our accounting methods … Continue reading ““Consumer Surplus” from Personal Technology Is Soaring in the Age of Appreciation”
Alnylam Sued By Tekmira, Curis Cancer Drug Shows Results, Still River Gets $11.5M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
We had plenty of headlines from New England area drug companies this week, with news of clinical trial results, technology developments, lawsuits, and funding. —The FDA set April 28 as the date that an advisory committee will meet on Cambridge, MA-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) application for approval of telaprevir, its experimental drug for hepatitis … Continue reading “Alnylam Sued By Tekmira, Curis Cancer Drug Shows Results, Still River Gets $11.5M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
LocaModa Receives $1,500,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=05265da7-94b9-44d9-80f7-62a836b0e02b&Preview=1 Date 3/25/2011 Company Name LocaModa Mailing Address 160 Sidney St. Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description LocaModa turns screens that people normally ignore into screens they can’t resist. By connecting digital networks with social media and mobile messaging, we enable over 100,000,000 people a month to interact with their environments in thousands … Continue reading “LocaModa Receives $1,500,000 New Financing Round”
Healthcare Experience Design Conference
This conference aims to spotlight how design technology in healthcare can better improve health and wellness, in the areas of medical devices, human services, and Web applications. Speakers come from academia, design firms, healthcare companies, and more. Register here.
Takeaways from SXSW Interactive 2011: Winners, Losers, and a Remainder
The biggest challenge for a company at SXSW Interactive is getting noticed. Now drawing 17,000 registrants and with heavy-hitting corporate sponsors, there are plenty of companies that come to the event and spend plenty of dollars. With so much going on, the winner is the company that can turn heads and get people talking during … Continue reading “Takeaways from SXSW Interactive 2011: Winners, Losers, and a Remainder”
In-NOW-Vation 2011 Technology Showcase and Celebration
This is a competition disguised as a cocktail party, where attendees will vote on the competing companies for some quirky prizes. Those that have entered to exhibit so far include Aisle Buyer, CustomMade, Architexa, and HeyWire. Register here.
Energy Breakfast Seminar: Innovation, Technology and Sustainable Design
This breakfast panel will take a look at the design elements and technology that enable buildings to go greener, like smart meters and LEDs. Register here.
As Cyber Threats Mature, So Do Boston-Area Security Firms: RSA, Fidelis, Cyber-Ark, and More
Sometimes what’s bad for companies is good for business. That’s the case for a number of Massachusetts security software firms. These days, the Boston area seems to have renewed its claim as an epicenter of cyber security activity. In the wake of the recent, much-publicized cyber attack on RSA Security, a division of Hopkinton, MA-based … Continue reading “As Cyber Threats Mature, So Do Boston-Area Security Firms: RSA, Fidelis, Cyber-Ark, and More”
February Freeze: Massachusetts Startup Funding Shrinks to $130.9 M
How far the mighty fall. Investments in Massachusetts startups soared to $242.5 million in January, but last month tech and life sciences companies raised just over half that, $130.9 million, in 24 equity-based deals, according to data provided by CB Insights’ FundingFlash, a daily roundup of companies receiving venture capital, angel investment, and growth equity … Continue reading “February Freeze: Massachusetts Startup Funding Shrinks to $130.9 M”
PerkinElmer Agrees to Buy CambridgeSoft
PerkinElmer (NYSE:[[ticker:PKI]]), the Waltham, MA-based provider of products and services focused on the health and safety of people and the environment, said today that it has inked a definitive agreement to acquire CambridgeSoft of Cambridge, MA. In related news, PerkinElmer has completed its buyout of ArtusLabs, based in Research Triangle Park, NC. PerkinElmer says that … Continue reading “PerkinElmer Agrees to Buy CambridgeSoft”
$2M for SensAble Technologies
Wilmington, MA-based SensAble Technologies, a maker of 3D modeling and haptic systems, has raised $2 million of a planned $6 million equity round of financing, according to an SEC filing. In March 2010, the company said it raised $8 million in a financing that included HLM Venture Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners. That funding … Continue reading “$2M for SensAble Technologies”
VBI Progressing with Vaccines That Don’t Require Refrigeration
Expect to hear more about the vaccine developer VBI this year. The company has made some progress in addressing a major bugaboo in the vaccine field—the need to keep the vast majority of them at cool or freezing temperatures or risk spoilage. VBI (formerly called Variation Biotechnologies), which moved its headquarters from Canada to offices … Continue reading “VBI Progressing with Vaccines That Don’t Require Refrigeration”
BL Healthcare Obtains $2,015,648 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cdfed2ab-115d-49e8-a8b2-949a798426f3&Preview=1 Date 3/24/2011 Company Name BL Healthcare Mailing Address 33 Commercial St Foxboro, MA 02035 Company Description BL Healthcare began its initial entry into the market in 2006 and today, as we speak, use of open systems, broadband and the internet continue to gain acceptance and grow exponentially. We stand at a … Continue reading “BL Healthcare Obtains $2,015,648 New Funding Round”
PerkinElmer Acquires CambridgeSoft for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=242b6ec9-6475-4a9a-ab97-659d8bd1b4b4&Preview=1 Date 3/24/2011 Company Name CambridgeSoft Mailing Address 100 Cambridge Park Drive Cambridge, MA 02140 Company Description CambridgeSoft’s products are used primarily in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and chemical industries, as well as in higher education and in academic and government research. The company’s principal software offering, Chem & Bio Office, which includes … Continue reading “PerkinElmer Acquires CambridgeSoft for Undisclosed Sum”
Genzyme-Spinout Peptimmune Files for Chapter 7 Liquidation
Peptimmune, a Somerville, MA, biotech firm that has been developing a long-lasting drug for multiple sclerosis, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation on Monday, according to a court filing. VentureWire reported the news this morning. The biotech—which was acquired by Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) in 1999 and then spun off from the Cambridge, MA-based drugmaker as an independent … Continue reading “Genzyme-Spinout Peptimmune Files for Chapter 7 Liquidation”
Alnylam Named in Complaint Over RNAi Patents
A week after settling litigation related to the patents on gene-silencing treatments, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and others have found themselves in another legal battle over the Tuschl patents related to RNA-interference treatments. This time the University of Utah has named Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALNY]]), Max Planck, the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, MIT, and the University … Continue reading “Alnylam Named in Complaint Over RNAi Patents”
Gemvara Sparkles with $15M Series C, Leads Way in Mass Customization of Jewelry
Gemvara, the Lexington, MA-based online jewelry customization startup, announced today it has pinned down a $15 million Series C funding round. The financing was led by London-based Balderton Capital—who also led a $15 million round for Cambridge, MA-based mobile app developer SCVNGR earlier this year—and included returning Gemvara investors Highland Capital Partners and Canaan Partners. … Continue reading “Gemvara Sparkles with $15M Series C, Leads Way in Mass Customization of Jewelry”
Yale Spinoff Hadapt Hops Out of Stealth, Looks to Help Big Companies Handle Big Data
If you don’t know Hadoop from a hole in the wall, please meet Justin Borgman. He’ll break it all down for you. Borgman is the co-founder and CEO of Hadapt, a New Haven, CT-based startup that is coming out of stealth today at GigaOm’s Structure Big Data conference in New York City. Hadapt calls its … Continue reading “Yale Spinoff Hadapt Hops Out of Stealth, Looks to Help Big Companies Handle Big Data”
Who’s Going to Pay for Future Drug Development? (Part 2)
In the first part of this article, I detailed how pharma and biotech companies, along with the federal government, provide the majority of funding for biomedical research in the U.S. In this second part, I’ll turn my attention to a number of other sources, both for-profit and nonprofit, that also provide the capital that drives … Continue reading “Who’s Going to Pay for Future Drug Development? (Part 2)”
SV Life Sciences, Flush with $523M Fund, On the Hazard of Having a Lot of Dough
You’d think that when the venture capital industry is going through a historic shrinkage, life must be pretty good at SV Life Sciences. This $2 billion diversified healthcare fund, with main offices in San Francisco, Boston, and London, was one of the fortunate few VC funds that was able to reload with a $523 million … Continue reading “SV Life Sciences, Flush with $523M Fund, On the Hazard of Having a Lot of Dough”
Harvest Power Gets $52M, Zynga Buys Floodgate, Synageva Snaps Up $25M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
New England’s tech and life sciences companies are roaring into spring with a number of startup financings, acquisitions, and partnerships. —Harvest Power, a Waltham, MA-based startup focused on producing energy from organic waste, announced it had raised a $51.7 million Series B funding round led by Generation Investment Management, a firm co-founded by Al Gore and … Continue reading “Harvest Power Gets $52M, Zynga Buys Floodgate, Synageva Snaps Up $25M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Gemvara Lands $15,000,000 Series C Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2cacbccf-ceb7-4fe7-9bcf-b8419b32aa4b&Preview=1 Date 3/23/2011 Company Name Gemvara Mailing Address 92 Hayden Avenue Lexington, MA 02421 Company Description The term Gemvara is inspired by the ancient Sanskrit word for wish, vara. Every beautiful piece of jewelry that Gemvara sells is available as you wish: customized to suit your style. Website http://www.gemvara.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Gemvara Lands $15,000,000 Series C Financing Round”
McAfee Acquires Sentrigo for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fd711baf-f972-4e7c-93a7-1543b080bf56&Preview=1 Date 3/23/2011 Company Name Sentrigo Mailing Address 155M New Boston St. Woburn, MA 01801 Company Description Sentrigo’s solution monitors all database transactions in real-time, and alerts or even stops suspicious activities in their tracks. DBA managers and IT managers are able to provide their technical staff with safe, unfettered access to … Continue reading “McAfee Acquires Sentrigo for Undisclosed Sum”
JitterJam Bought by Meltwater
Bedford, NH-based JitterJam, a provider of social customer relationship management software, was acquired by San Francisco-based social media and news monitoring firm The Meltwater Group for $6 million, Meltwater announced today. All JitterJam employees will join MeltWater, and the company’s technology will be integrated into the social CRM platform Meltwater Buzz.
Verenium, Shorn of Biofuels Business, Returns to San Diego and its Diversa Roots
It felt like something was coming to an end last July, when energy giant BP said it was paying $98.3 million to acquire the cellulosic biofuels business of Cambridge, MA-based Verenium (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRNM]]). But as Verenium consolidates its headquarters and remaining operations in San Diego, incoming CEO James Levine told me in so many words … Continue reading “Verenium, Shorn of Biofuels Business, Returns to San Diego and its Diversa Roots”
Clouds, Clean Air, Cancer, and Cardio: Some Massachusetts Companies On the Rise
Just catching up on a few financings around the state on this fine spring morning. —Waltham, MA-based CloudFloor, a stealthy cloud-computing startup, announced it has raised more than $3 million in Series A financing from undisclosed investors. The company, which started in 2010, is led by former Gomez execs Jaime Ellertson and Imad Mouline. According … Continue reading “Clouds, Clean Air, Cancer, and Cardio: Some Massachusetts Companies On the Rise”
Who’s Going to Pay for Future Drug Development? (Part 1)
In case you haven’t noticed, heart disease remains a debilitating illness for millions. Cancer, despite some recent advances, has not been cured. Drug resistant strains of bacteria are spreading across the globe. There are still no effective treatments for Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and a huge number of other illnesses. The number … Continue reading “Who’s Going to Pay for Future Drug Development? (Part 1)”
Verax Biomedical Obtains $1,287,036 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=094b5989-df81-4684-a041-1d20f11e27ff&Preview=1 Date 3/22/2011 Company Name Verax Biomedical Mailing Address 377 Plantation Street Worcester, MA 01605 Company Description Verax Biomedical is a leader in the development of rapid tests designed to detect a broad range of bacterial contaminants based upon its proprietary Pan Genera Detection (PGD) technology. Website http://www.veraxbiomedical.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Verax Biomedical Obtains $1,287,036 New Financing Round”
Viewfinity Lands $1,893,900 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=acdb9590-3016-4549-9c9d-4db3d14c44c4&Preview=1 Date 3/22/2011 Company Name Viewfinity Mailing Address 1050 Winter Street Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Viewfinity offers uncomplicated systems management solutions to manage, support and control desktops, laptops and Windows servers, regardless of worker location, via SaaS-enabled software. In four easy steps, and in less than 10 minutes, IT departments can … Continue reading “Viewfinity Lands $1,893,900 New Financing Round”
CloudTP Acquires Global Green
Cloud Technology Partners, a Boston-based consulting firm, says that it has acquired Global Green Consulting Group. Financial terms of the deal weren’t announced. Global Green Consulting Group’s services will become part of the offerings of Cloud Technology Partners or CloudTP. Jim Lampert, founder and president of Global Green, will be joining CloudTP as executive vice … Continue reading “CloudTP Acquires Global Green”
Genentech Gets Positive Result in Cancer Trial
Lexington, MA-based Curis (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CRIS]]) said this morning that its partner Genentech of South San Francisco informed the firm that its pivotal Phase II study of a drug dubbed vismodegib in patients with an inoperable form of severe skin cancer called advanced basal cell carcinoma met its primary endpoint of tumor shrinkage. The most common adverse … Continue reading “Genentech Gets Positive Result in Cancer Trial”
Synageva Grabs $25M for Rare Diseases Drug Pipeline
Synageva BioPharma has nabbed $25 million in private equity financing as the Lexington, MA-based firm makes progress with its pipeline of treatments for rare diseases—an area that seems to be white hot these days, given Sanofi-Aventis’ (NYSE:[[ticker:SNY]]) $20.1 billion buyout of Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) and other recent developments. Synageva says that its previous lead investors participated … Continue reading “Synageva Grabs $25M for Rare Diseases Drug Pipeline”
Think Obamacare Will Suffocate New Drug Development With Price Controls? Think Again
There were a million arguments against healthcare reform a year ago. One was that if President Obama got his way and expanded health insurance to millions of uninsured people, and the government made a real effort to study the comparative effectiveness of drugs at high and low prices, it was really the first step toward … Continue reading “Think Obamacare Will Suffocate New Drug Development With Price Controls? Think Again”