Category: Boston

Verastem Secures $16,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d7ebd786-32ba-4ab6-849a-910e9ca9eda0&Preview=1 Date 11/16/2010 Company Name Verastem Mailing Address 800 Boylston St. Boston, MA 02199 Company Description Verastem, Inc. is a private biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel drugs that selectively target cancer stem cells. Website http://www.Verastem.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $16,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Verastem Secures $16,000,000 Series A Round”

Lilliputian Systems Lands New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5c31cdeb-e402-4864-8dfd-26472a355884&Preview=1 Date 11/16/2010 Company Name Lilliputian Systems Mailing Address 36 Jonspin Road Winchester, MA 01887 Company Description Lilliputian has been rumored since 2001 to be developing a new kind of battery for electronic handheld devices and other applications. According to published reports, the company’s product is a combination of fuel cell and … Continue reading “Lilliputian Systems Lands New Funding”

Zyrra Wraps Up $445K

Boston-based Zyrra, a provider of CAD-based technology for developing custom-fit bras, has raised $445,000 of a potential $1 million equity round, from 17 investors, according to an SEC filing. We first caught wind of the Zyrra seed funding, which includes Golden Seeds investors Jess McLear and Jean Hammond, when we profiled the company last month. Zyrra … Continue reading “Zyrra Wraps Up $445K”

MooBella Laps Up $9M

MooBella, a Taunton, MA-based provider of make-your-own ice cream machines, has scooped up $9 million in equity-based funding, from one investor, according to an SEC filing. Last year the company brought in $18 million from Inventages Venture Capital, shortly after revamping its technology to better scale at a number of locations throughout New England. Its … Continue reading “MooBella Laps Up $9M”

EMC Acquires Isilon Systems for $2.25B—Now the Real Work Begins

[Updated 12:30pm ET, see below.] OK, we knew this was coming—it was just a matter of when. Hopkinton, MA-based data storage giant EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]) announced today it will acquire Seattle-based Isilon Systems (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISLN]]) for $2.25 billion in cash. EMC is paying $33.85 per share, a 29 percent increase over Isilon’s previous closing price … Continue reading “EMC Acquires Isilon Systems for $2.25B—Now the Real Work Begins”

Cerulean Grabs $24M for Nano Drugs

[Correction—8:16 pm Eastern time on 11/15/10. See editor’s note.] Tiny drugs just got a big endorsement. Cambridge, MA-based Cerulean Pharmaceuticals has closed a $24 million Series C funding round to fuel development of its nanoparticle drugs, the company announced this morning. The deal gives the startup funding for a mid-stage clinical trial of its lead … Continue reading “Cerulean Grabs $24M for Nano Drugs”

GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & The Opportunity (Part 2)

[Editor’s Note: the first part of this guest post ran on Friday.] Governments, Law and Regulations, Oh My! One of the hallmarks of the growth of the Internet was a lack of government regulation or involvement. While not the case for all green businesses, many of the larger opportunities and business sectors look to government … Continue reading “GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & The Opportunity (Part 2)”

Alkermes CEO Leans on Internal Pipeline as Bydureon Hangs Out in the Penalty Box

When biotech firms get bad news from the FDA, the fallout can have a dramatic impact on everyone from the CEO to the bench scientists. But Waltham, MA-based biotech firm Alkermes (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALKS]]) was able to escape a disappointing regulatory ruling last month without any impact on its day-to-day operations, Richard Pops, the company’s chairman and … Continue reading “Alkermes CEO Leans on Internal Pipeline as Bydureon Hangs Out in the Penalty Box”

Cerulean Pharmaceuticals Receives $24,000,000 Series C Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=eaf93f3e-e87b-4ae3-967b-941ff461dc70&Preview=1 Date 11/15/2010 Company Name Cerulean Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 840 Memorial Drive 5th Floor Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Within the field of nanopharmaceuticals, Cerulean Pharma is uniquely focused on a next-generation approach we call Nanobiology. Cerulean’s nanobiology-based drug development is based on a deep understanding of the complex biological microenvironment of … Continue reading “Cerulean Pharmaceuticals Receives $24,000,000 Series C Funding Round”

ConnectEDU Lands $7,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=60202b5c-3549-4f99-bd31-99c48f7d7406&Preview=1 Date 11/15/2010 Company Name ConnectEDU Mailing Address 20 Park Plaza Boston, MA 02116 Company Description ConnectEDU is the nation’s leading technology firm dedicated to providing students, educators and employers with comprehensive solutions to successfully navigate education and employment transitions. Website http://www.connectedu.net/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “ConnectEDU Lands $7,000,000 New Financing”

Ramp Holdings Secures $3,499,999 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8fd15190-666b-4f45-8e91-f90e187d7c0c&Preview=1 Date 11/15/2010 Company Name Ramp Holdings Mailing Address 300 Trade Center Woburn, MA 01801 Company Description The company develops platforms for workflow optimization for online publishers, media companies and broadcasters. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,499,999 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory … Continue reading “Ramp Holdings Secures $3,499,999 New Financing Round”

Digital Media SIG Event: You’re Being Followed – Online Privacy Today

This event, put on by the MIT Enterprise Forum Digital Media SIG, is designed to give you a peek into how firms track, target, analyze, and sell data of your online activity. Benefits and risks will be discussed from both the consumer and corporate perspectives, as will ways to manage the privacy concerns that pop … Continue reading “Digital Media SIG Event: You’re Being Followed – Online Privacy Today”

Cyberposium 16

This MBA technology conference will bring together business leaders to talk about the impact of technology and innovation on business and society. Put on by the Harvard Business School’s TechMedia Club, this day will feature talks from executives from companies like Pandora, VMware, and HTC. Register here.

Cotendo Sued By Akamai, MIT

Cambridge, MA-based Internet content-delivery provider Akamai Technologies, alongside MIT, are suing Cotendo, a Sunnyvale, CA-based startup in the Web content space, according to documents filed this week with the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. They have claimed that “in an effort to compete against Akamai as a low-cost provider,” Cotendo has used content-delivery technology that Akamai … Continue reading “Cotendo Sued By Akamai, MIT”

Ramp Pulls in $3.5M

Woburn, MA-based Ramp Holdings, a maker of platforms for workflow optimization for online publishers, media companies, and broadcasters, has wrapped up a $3.5 million equity financing, according to an SEC filing. The firm’s previous investors include Accel Partners, Fairhaven Capital, General Catalyst Partners, Peacock Equity, General Electric, and NBC Universal. Ramp was founded by now … Continue reading “Ramp Pulls in $3.5M”

Punchbowl Buys Socializr

Framingham, MA-based party planning website Punchbowl.com announced it has acquired Socializr.com, a San Francisco-based event management platform. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Socializr, which was started by Jonathan Abrams, the founder of social networking site Friendster, will integrate with Punchbowl’s online party planning services, which include customizable invitations, potluck planning, local vendor … Continue reading “Punchbowl Buys Socializr”

RockMelt: A Great Social Browser for the Desktop, But Isn’t This the Mobile Era?

While nearly everything about the Web has changed since its emergence circa 1993—who’s using it, what types of content are available, how Web pages are constructed, how it’s all paid for—the desktop browser hasn’t. It’s still basically a big blank square that lets you navigate between Web pages, with a set of buttons and controls … Continue reading “RockMelt: A Great Social Browser for the Desktop, But Isn’t This the Mobile Era?”

Avila Therapeutics Pursuing Rival to Lung Cancer Drug in Dana-Farber Lawsuit

An experimental lung cancer drug discovered at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is currently at the center of a lawsuit involving Dana-Farber, Swiss drug giant Novartis, and Millbrae, CA-based Gatekeeper Pharmaceuticals. But while that complicated case continues to unfold, Waltham, MA-based biotech startup Avila Therapeutics is working on a similar molecule, which is designed to treat … Continue reading “Avila Therapeutics Pursuing Rival to Lung Cancer Drug in Dana-Farber Lawsuit”

GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & the Opportunity

“So what is so special about green entrepreneurs?” This is an excellent question and was a central theme in my recently published book, Green Entrepreneur Handbook. Why is a green entrepreneur any different than any other sort of entrepreneur? Does it take a special entrepreneur with different skills to build a green business? Throughout the … Continue reading “GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & the Opportunity”

Genzyme Initiates Job Cuts, Dana-Farber/Gatekeeper Suit Advances, GTC Bought by LFB, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

Biotechs, research institutes, health IT companies, diagnostics firms, and the investing side of life sciences all made the news in the New England area this week with headlines of funding, litigation, and personnel changes. —Woburn, MA-based biodefense and diagnostics firm Pathogenetix, formerly called U.S. Genomics, raised a $1.3 million equity-based financing, and $900,000 of a … Continue reading “Genzyme Initiates Job Cuts, Dana-Farber/Gatekeeper Suit Advances, GTC Bought by LFB, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Axis Semiconductor Secures $1,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d48ccaf8-f819-499c-bfa1-72e10c0b74e9&Preview=1 Date 11/12/2010 Company Name Axis Semiconductor Mailing Address 225 Cedar Hill St. Marlborough, MA 01752 Company Description Axis Semiconductor, Inc. is developing an innovative solution for signal and data processing. Website http://www.axissemi.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $1,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. … Continue reading “Axis Semiconductor Secures $1,000,000 New Financing”

A VC Re-Visits China: Vitality and Optimism, but What Lies Ahead?

What a fascinating week to be traveling in Asia. President Obama is here for the G20 Summit—as is Tiger Woods—and, frankly, I am surprised at how tough the local press is on both men (at least one is well deserving of the criticism, though). The juxtaposition to when I was here right after President Obama … Continue reading “A VC Re-Visits China: Vitality and Optimism, but What Lies Ahead?”

“No, I Will Not Fund Your Company”

If you are an entrepreneur and you haven’t heard the phrase above, then you probably got one of the following: “why don’t you come back when you have more traction;” “this just isn’t for us;” or (my least favorite), “this looks like a solid double…we only take home runs.” I do some work for LaunchCapital, … Continue reading ““No, I Will Not Fund Your Company””

EMC Acquisitions Could Include Isilon, LFB Buys GTC, Tremor Media Snaps Up ScanScout, & More Boston-Area Deals News

Diagnostics and software startups were active on the New England-area deals front this week. We saw news of acquisitions, financings, and stock purchases, and also covered some more in-depth strategy at a big area tech name. —Pathogenetix, a Woburn, MA-based diagnostics startup formerly named U.S. Genomics, brought in $1.3 million in equity-based funding, and $900,000 … Continue reading “EMC Acquisitions Could Include Isilon, LFB Buys GTC, Tremor Media Snaps Up ScanScout, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

EMC Buys Bus-Tech

Hopkinton, MA-based data storage giant EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]) said today it has acquired Bus-Tech, a Bedford, MA, maker of technologies for storing and retrieving data from mainframe tape-based systems. Financial terms weren’t given. Bus-Tech, an existing partner of EMC, will become part of the latter’s Backup Recovery Systems division, which was recently formed from EMC’s … Continue reading “EMC Buys Bus-Tech”

Kamen Joins Third Rock Ventures

Third Rock Ventures said today it has named Robert Kamen, previously of Oxford Bioscience Partners, as an entrepreneur-in-residence. Kamen’s 30 years in biologics includes time spent as president of Abbott Bioresearch Center, where was involved in the discovery of the blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug adalimumab (Humira), according to Third Rock. Kamen is also an alumnus … Continue reading “Kamen Joins Third Rock Ventures”

Dana-Farber and Bay-Area Startup File Responses in Lawsuit Over Rights to Cancer Molecule

There’s a new round of interesting court filings in Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s lawsuit against a Bay Area biotech startup co-founded by Dana-Farber scientists. It’s the latest chapter in a case primarily concerning who has rights to a potential game-changing drug for lung cancer discovered at Dana-Farber. Dana-Farber filed a lawsuit against Millbrae, CA-based Gatekeeper … Continue reading “Dana-Farber and Bay-Area Startup File Responses in Lawsuit Over Rights to Cancer Molecule”

Video-Chatting With Random, But Similar Strangers Goes Live with VisitorsCafe Launch

Traditionally, website features like comments sections can give a small peek at the people congregating to read the content there. But now, rather than just reading those comments, you can engage in a direct video chat with the people behind them, thanks to technology being released today by Boston-based VisitorsCafe. “People kept telling me, ‘Hey … Continue reading “Video-Chatting With Random, But Similar Strangers Goes Live with VisitorsCafe Launch”

Harvest Power Obtains $7,500,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b7146f51-b99f-49fc-bb3f-79a051ebdb38&Preview=1 Date 11/10/2010 Company Name Harvest Power Mailing Address 610 Lincoln St 3rd Floor Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Harvest’s superpowered products and capabilities give us the opportunity to create a new life-cycle for organics. We assist communities with source separation programs, build renewable energy facilities and utilize our best-in-class technologies to … Continue reading “Harvest Power Obtains $7,500,000 New Round”

Kala Pharmaceuticals Garners $3,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=46f2a0b2-bf05-4e4b-b4a5-55abf1ca04b7&Preview=1 Date 11/10/2010 Company Name Kala Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 135 Beaver St. Waltham, MA 02452 Company Description Provides undisclosed pharmaceutical products and services. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Debt, Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed

E Ink Gets Colorful, Akamai Loses Netflix, Five Startups Are Hiring, and More Tech Tidbits

This is one of those weeks when it feels like we’ve been overrun by news. Nothing really major, but a lot of things to think about. To get caught up, here’s a sampling of what’s been going on in the Boston tech community today: —E Ink, the technology maker behind many popular e-reader displays, said … Continue reading “E Ink Gets Colorful, Akamai Loses Netflix, Five Startups Are Hiring, and More Tech Tidbits”

Envista Pulls in $4.1M

Beverly, MA-based Envista, a provider of Web-based software for managing construction and utility infrastructure, has raised $4.1 million toward a $7.6 million equity-based funding round, from seven investors, according to an SEC filing. The firm’s previous investors include Point Judith Capital, Borealis Ventures, and Egan-Managed Capital.

Big Fish Help Out the Smaller Fish in the Life Sciences Pond

In spite of the abundance of PhDs, MDs, JDs, and MBAs in biotech and pharma, we all know that on-the-job learning is really how this industry is built. Nobody goes to university to learn how to be a great CEO or manager, and there aren’t any courses in grad school where budding researchers can learn … Continue reading “Big Fish Help Out the Smaller Fish in the Life Sciences Pond”

Don’t Just Read—Hear Personalized Social Networking Posts With Thing5’s Jawbite App

The “happy birthday” wall post on Facebook or mention on Twitter is about to get a whole lot more personal. Now, rather than just typing out a message or status on one of the social networking tools, you can attach a voicemail to it, thanks to a feature called JawBite, from Springfield, MA-based voice telecom … Continue reading “Don’t Just Read—Hear Personalized Social Networking Posts With Thing5’s Jawbite App”

Envista Lands $4,100,005 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4413c962-d948-4ea5-bef0-02d4ad7c6a2e&Preview=1 Date 11/9/2010 Company Name Envista Mailing Address 900 Cummings Center Beverly, MA 01915 Company Description Envista Corporation offers an innovative, patent-pending software solution for the management of built infrastructure assets to address the need for an integrated, enterprise-wide, best-practices approach. Envista’s products were developed by experts in asset management and the … Continue reading “Envista Lands $4,100,005 New Financing”

ConnectEDU Secures $4,917,746 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=60202b5c-3549-4f99-bd31-99c48f7d7406&Preview=1 Date 11/9/2010 Company Name ConnectEDU Mailing Address 20 Park Plaza Boston, MA 02116 Company Description ConnectEDU is the nation’s leading technology firm dedicated to providing students, educators and employers with comprehensive solutions to successfully navigate education and employment transitions. Website http://www.connectedu.net/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,917,746 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “ConnectEDU Secures $4,917,746 New Round”

Quick Hit Receives $3,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f975d9fe-2837-445a-a53e-c78c9336723c&Preview=1 Date 11/9/2010 Company Name Quick Hit Mailing Address 16 Chestnut St. Foxborough, MA 02035 Company Description QUICKHIT NFL Football is a free-to-play online football game where you coach and manage your own NFL team! Website http://www.quickhit.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $3,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not … Continue reading “Quick Hit Receives $3,000,000 New Financing”

Web Video Ad Startups ScanScout, Tremor Media Join Forces in Challenge to Hulu, YouTube

Boston-based ScanScout, which serves targeted video ads to a network of 1,000 online publishers, has been acquired by New York-based competitor Tremor Media, the two companies announced today. The combined company, which will be headed by ScanScout CEO Bill Day, hopes to form a video ad distribution network large enough to compete with Hulu, YouTube, Brightroll, … Continue reading “Web Video Ad Startups ScanScout, Tremor Media Join Forces in Challenge to Hulu, YouTube”

Inventor and VC Bob Metcalfe Joins Faculty at University of Texas, Talks About Spurring Innovation by Teaching It

Big news in the New England innovation community today. Bob Metcalfe, an inventor of the Ethernet local-area networking standard, founder of 3Com, partner at Polaris Venture Partners—too many qualifications to list here—is joining the University of Texas at Austin as “professor of innovation” in UT’s engineering school as of January 2011. The news was first … Continue reading “Inventor and VC Bob Metcalfe Joins Faculty at University of Texas, Talks About Spurring Innovation by Teaching It”

Stock Repurchase For GT Solar

Merrimack, NH-based GT Solar, a provider of technology in the solar and LED spaces, announced today that it plans to purchase and retire 26.5 million shares of its common stock from all of its private equity investors, at $7.66 per share. The $203 million deal, expected to close on or before November 12, will reduce … Continue reading “Stock Repurchase For GT Solar”

HealthcareSource Buys TestSource

HealthcareSource, a Woburn, MA-based provider of human resources management software for the healthcare industry, said today that it has bought its partner TestSource of Grand Rapids, MI. Financial terms of the purchase were not disclosed. TestSource provides behavioral assessments of job applicants for healthcare customers, and the firm has worked on more than 100 integrations … Continue reading “HealthcareSource Buys TestSource”

EMC’s Acquisition Strategy: New Insights from Data Domain (and Rumored Isilon Deal)

EMC, the data storage giant, has lots of irons in the fire when it comes to innovation. The Hopkinton, MA-based firm (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]) pursues an interesting mix of acquisitions and “organic” in-house research and development. A few weeks ago, I spoke with EMC’s chief technology officer, Jeff Nick, about the company’s broader innovation strategy—which can … Continue reading “EMC’s Acquisition Strategy: New Insights from Data Domain (and Rumored Isilon Deal)”

French Biotech to Buy GTC

Framingham, MA-based GTC Biotherapeutics, the first company to get FDA approval of a drug derived from genetically modified animals, has struck a stock purchase and merger deal with LFB Biotechnologies, according to a press release. France’s LFB has agreed to take GTC private through its purchase of GTC stock for 30 cents per share or … Continue reading “French Biotech to Buy GTC”

A New Playbook for Green Advertising

What does it mean for a product to be environmentally friendly? How about sustainable? Or even biodegradable? These words may appeal to a rapidly growing body of environmentally conscious customers, not to mention the major corporations and startups who appeal to them by touting their own “greenness”—but unless they convey a clear meaning and can … Continue reading “A New Playbook for Green Advertising”