Category: Boston

Exoskeletons In My Closet: What Raytheon’s Robotic Suit Really Means for the Field

Last week, Waltham, MA-based defense contractor Raytheon (NYSE: [[ticker:RTN]]) unveiled its latest prototype “exoskeleton.” This is a powered robotic suit that a soldier or worker could strap on in the field to enable them to load heavy equipment faster, carry supplies or munitions using less energy, or—let’s face it—just look ultra-cool. Raytheon said in a … Continue reading “Exoskeletons In My Closet: What Raytheon’s Robotic Suit Really Means for the Field”

ModeRNA, Stealth Startup Backed By Flagship, Unveils New Way to Make Stem Cells

ModeRNA Therapeutics, a new startup out of Cambridge, MA-based Flagship VentureLabs, announced it has developed a method for producing human induced pluripotent stem cells, which are embryonic-like stem cells that are formed by reprogramming adult stem cells. Flagship and three other scientists co-founded the startup this summer with an undisclosed amount of Series A funding, … Continue reading “ModeRNA, Stealth Startup Backed By Flagship, Unveils New Way to Make Stem Cells”

Sanofi-Aventis Launches Hostile Takeover Bid For Genzyme

The French drug giant Sanofi-Aventis’s quest to buy the struggling biotech Genzyme has officially turned ugly. This morning Sanofi (NYSE:[[ticker:SNY]]) went directly to the shareholders of Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) with a tender offer of $69 per share, or $18.5 billion total, in a bid to seize control of the biotech company’s lucrative business of … Continue reading “Sanofi-Aventis Launches Hostile Takeover Bid For Genzyme”

One Laptop Gets $5.6M Grant From Marvell to Develop Next Generation Tablet Computer

The One Laptop per Child Foundation and Santa Clara, CA-based semiconductor maker Marvell have cemented a partnership announced last spring, with Marvell agreeing to provide OLPC with $5.6 million to fund development of its next generation tablet computer, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte tells me. Negroponte says the deal, signed in the past week or so … Continue reading “One Laptop Gets $5.6M Grant From Marvell to Develop Next Generation Tablet Computer”

The Grand Challenge of Innovation

Recently, the X Prize Foundation awarded a total of $10 million to three companies at the forefront of building the world’s most efficient cars. It was the culmination of a competition that began in 2008 with 111 teams and was pared down to nine finalists. The competition was rigorous: it demanded teams to engineer and … Continue reading “The Grand Challenge of Innovation”

Introducing Your High-Tech Startup: An Irreverent Guide

You shape the view that others hold of your company via either one-to-one interactions or one-to-many interactions. Of course, the one-to-one interactions in business meetings and social settings are the most potent, because you have both quantity and quality of attention. But this doesn’t scale well. Another reason that personal one-to-one contact is so effective … Continue reading “Introducing Your High-Tech Startup: An Irreverent Guide”

Boston vs. NYC vs. Silicon Valley? Forget It—The Real City of Innovation Is Everywhere

In William Gibson’s 1984 cyberpunk masterpiece Neuromancer, the hero Case lives in a near-future place called BAMA—the Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis, aka the Sprawl, a giant city that has spread Coruscant-like across the whole eastern seaboard. (If it had extended to Orlando, maybe Gibson could have called it OBAMA.) But while this part of Gibson’s sci-fi … Continue reading “Boston vs. NYC vs. Silicon Valley? Forget It—The Real City of Innovation Is Everywhere”

Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of the Third Quarter: From A123 Expansion to Zynga Acquisition

The third quarter of 2010 is going out with a monsoon in New England. It seems like a good time to hole up indoors and look back at some of the top stories we’ve done at Xconomy Boston over the past three months. These are our editors’ picks. They aren’t necessarily the ones that got … Continue reading “Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of the Third Quarter: From A123 Expansion to Zynga Acquisition”

Merck Ends Aveo Deal, Acceleron Rides Pharma Partnership Wave, Rhythmia Raises $5M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

The birth and death of partnerships was the subject of much of this week’s news in New England’s life sciences sector. —Rhythmia Medical raised $5 million in an equity offering that could end up being worth $7 million, according to a regulatory filing, bringing the Burlington, MA-based startup’s total funding to $17 million. Rhythmia is … Continue reading “Merck Ends Aveo Deal, Acceleron Rides Pharma Partnership Wave, Rhythmia Raises $5M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Music Hack Day Boston 2010

This is where computer hacking and music intersect. It’s a weekend event dedicated to building music apps, with demonstrations on Sunday of the hacks that were created. Register here.

BirdDog Flies With $2M

BirdDog Solutions, an Andover, MA-headquartered maker of transportation management software, has raised all but $300,000 of a roughly $2.4 million equity-based funding round, according to an SEC filing. Executives from the digital archiving firm Iron Mountain and the founder of private equity firm Greyhawk Capital Management are members of the BirdDog board. The document for … Continue reading “BirdDog Flies With $2M”

Avalon Still Raising Capital After Landing $161M for Ninth Fund

Avalon Ventures, the San Diego-based venture capital firm founded by Kevin Kinsella, has surpassed its targeted minimum fund-raising goal for its ninth venture fund. After closing on a significant investment in the fund yesterday, Avalon Ventures IX now stands at $161 million, according to Kinsella. These days, it is practically headline news when a San … Continue reading “Avalon Still Raising Capital After Landing $161M for Ninth Fund”

Sayagle Rolls Out Social Marketplace

Cambridge, MA-based Sayagle has launched today a new location-based social community and deals marketplace for consumers and local merchants in the Boston area. The site lets businesses provide daily deals and rewards, targeted mainly for students at local universities. Founder Ken Huang is a Boston University, Harvard, and MIT grad who previously co-founded WebNotes and … Continue reading “Sayagle Rolls Out Social Marketplace”

Merck Ends AVEO Collaboration

AVEO Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVEO]]), a Cambridge, MA-based cancer drug developer, announced today that it has regained its worldwide rights to its antibody drug candidate AV-299 from Merck’s Schering subsidiary. Merck said it ended its collaboration with AVEO because the drug candidate was no longer a priority in its portfolio, according to today’s announcement. AVEO, which … Continue reading “Merck Ends AVEO Collaboration”

Dyax Inks Deal With CMIC

Cambridge, MA-based biotech Dyax (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DYAX]]) announced it has inked a deal with Japanese contract research organization CMIC to develop and commercialize its drug DX-88 (ecallantide), a treatment for the inflammatory disease hereditary angioedema, in Japan. CMIC will pay Dyax $4 million upfront and $102 million in development and sales milestones for the FDA-approved treatment, … Continue reading “Dyax Inks Deal With CMIC”

Lantos Technologies and MIT’s Doug Hart Aim for Encore to Big Exit at Brontes

Shahid Azim met me at the front door of his new 3D ear-canal imaging startup, Lantos Technologies, earlier this week. The walls were barren, and the space was mostly devoid of furniture. But when I peeked through one of the office doorways, I spotted the Cambridge, MA, startup’s academic founder, Doug Hart, who is way … Continue reading “Lantos Technologies and MIT’s Doug Hart Aim for Encore to Big Exit at Brontes”

Necessity is the Mother of Stratification: Personalized Medicine is Getting Real

Joe Stanta of eyeforpharma organized a Personalized and Translational Medicine conference last week for people who are directly involved with making personalized medicine a reality. What was especially refreshing about the conference was a healthy balance of prognosticators and practitioners—with the majority of speakers representing the latter. I came away from this conference with the … Continue reading “Necessity is the Mother of Stratification: Personalized Medicine is Getting Real”

Babson MBA Program Boldly Expands to San Francisco, Where Entrepreneurship Goes “90 Miles Per Hour”

If you’ve spent much time around Boston, you know that the name Babson College is pretty much synonymous with “entrepreneurship.” Centered in Babson Park, MA, adjacent to suburban Wellesley, Babson’s MBA programs seem to churn out startup founders at a rate that’s far out of proportion to the school’s size (1,600 graduate students) or its … Continue reading “Babson MBA Program Boldly Expands to San Francisco, Where Entrepreneurship Goes “90 Miles Per Hour””

Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos Talks Rock Band 3, Entrepreneur Advice, and What’s Next for the Firm

After you’ve saved rock and roll, what do you do for an encore? OK, Harmonix Music Systems’ chief executive Alex Rigopulos might disagree with that premise, but it’s a valid question for his company. The answer, for now, seems to be Rock Band 3, the newest release in the hit videogame franchise, which will roll … Continue reading “Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos Talks Rock Band 3, Entrepreneur Advice, and What’s Next for the Firm”

BirdDog Solutions Secures $2,121,378 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b7eb6744-3931-4643-9233-5be7347e7f84&Preview=1 Date 9/30/2010 Company Name BirdDog Solutions Mailing Address 138 River Road Andover, MA 01810 Company Description BirdDog Solutions is the first in the industry to provide large-volume shippers with transportation procurement, execution, audit, and payment capabilities through a unique combination of managed services and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – collectively reducing clients’ shipping … Continue reading “BirdDog Solutions Secures $2,121,378 New Financing Round”

WiTricity, Delphi Partner on Developing Wireless Charging Station for Electric Vehicles

WiTricity, the Watertown, MA-based developer of technology for the wireless delivery of electricity, has signed an agreement with Delphi Automotive of Troy, MI, to work on wireless charging products for hybrid and electric vehicles, Delphi announced today. WiTricity will supply its wireless electricity technology and components to Delphi, a maker of electronics technologies for vehicles. … Continue reading “WiTricity, Delphi Partner on Developing Wireless Charging Station for Electric Vehicles”

FutureM

“The brainchild of MITX (Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange) and a group of leading thinkers in marketing and media, FutureM is a collective effort in which the event hosts – companies, organizations, venture firms, university groups, and clubs – identify pressing issues, forecast and analyze trends, and initiate discussions designed to explore the future of … Continue reading “FutureM”

WEST: Marketing Your Ideas and Yourself In Business

“Success often requires presenting scientific and technical ideas (and yourself) to others. This can range from persuading a company of your work’s value, convincing potential funders to invest, or getting upper management to take you seriously. This panel discussion will address both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ issues to better articulate and market your ideas (and yourself) … Continue reading “WEST: Marketing Your Ideas and Yourself In Business”

Startup Story SLAM!

This event helps kick off BREW, the Boston Region Entrepreneurship Week. Select entrepreneurs will share their tales of getting their companies off the ground. Register here.

Second to Market isn’t Always Second Best

About a year ago, I had the opportunity to hear Paul English, the CTO and Co-Founder of Kayak.com, speak. In his chat, Paul focused a great deal on ruthless efficiency and excellent customer experience. He wowed the crowd with stories of answering his own customer service calls, getting feedback on Kayak’s new iPhone application from … Continue reading “Second to Market isn’t Always Second Best”

Startup Ligon Discovery Lands Bayer Schering for First Deal with Major Pharma

Ligon Discovery has its first large pharmaceutical partner, a big deal for any biotech but especially for a company that spun out of an academic lab just 16 months ago. Cambridge, MA-based Ligon is announcing today it has inked a deal with Germany-based drugmaker Bayer Schering Pharma. The deal calls for Ligon to use drug-screening … Continue reading “Startup Ligon Discovery Lands Bayer Schering for First Deal with Major Pharma”

Continuity Engine Lands $750,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ee761f6d-2370-414b-b2c7-3b467c5d5dd2&Preview=1 Date 9/29/2010 Company Name Continuity Engine Mailing Address 150 Munson Street 25 Science Park at Yale New Haven, CT 06511 Company Description Software applications exist to help businesses with their big problems; like financial management, sales force automation and inventory. But in most businesses there are those other processes, the information … Continue reading “Continuity Engine Lands $750,000 New Funding”

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh on Selling to Amazon Vs. Microsoft, Fixing His Biggest Mistakes, and Why Harvard Entrepreneurs Go West

What do Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Tony Hsieh have in common? That’s right, they all went to Harvard. And they have all run billion-dollar companies. Unlike Bill G. and Zuck, though, Hsieh actually graduated, in 1995. The CEO of Zappos, the Las Vegas-based online shoe retailer now owned by Amazon.com, was in Boston yesterday … Continue reading “Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh on Selling to Amazon Vs. Microsoft, Fixing His Biggest Mistakes, and Why Harvard Entrepreneurs Go West”

AEB Adds Ex-Evergreen CEO

Wilmington, MA-based startup Advanced Electron Beams announced today that it has hired as its new CEO Richard Feldt, who left his position as chief executive of Marlboro, MA-based Evergreen Solar late last week. Advanced Electron Beams is working on technology that uses high-speed electrons in industrial functions that traditionally require water, heat, or chemicals. Feldt … Continue reading “AEB Adds Ex-Evergreen CEO”

MIT Cancer Research Star Tyler Jacks Takes Closing Keynote Role at Xconomy Forum

We like to sweeten the pot around here, adding world-class speakers to our Xconomy Forums every chance we get. And today I’m psyched to announce that Tyler Jacks, a world-renowned scientist and director of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, will be joining us as the closing keynote speaker at … Continue reading “MIT Cancer Research Star Tyler Jacks Takes Closing Keynote Role at Xconomy Forum”

Andera Gets $9M from Edison

Providence, RI-based Andera, a provider of Internet software for banks and other financial groups to offer online account opening and funding to customers, has closed a $9 million financing led by Lawrenceville, VA-based Edison Venture Fund, according to the company. Andera, which now serves more than 425 financial institutions, said it plans to use the … Continue reading “Andera Gets $9M from Edison”

Episend, Almost A Year Old, Enables Interactive File Sharing In The Cloud

While managing the websites for the retail giant TJX, Richard DiBona encountered the pain of missing important files because they were too big to be sent through e-mail. “With email and attachments, there’s no way of knowing that it failed most of the time,” he says. “It goes into oblivion and you hope for the … Continue reading “Episend, Almost A Year Old, Enables Interactive File Sharing In The Cloud”

Acceleron Weans Itself Off VC, Continues its Roll with Pharma Partner Dollars

Acceleron Pharma is in an enviable position among its biotech peers. Instead of relying on venture capital in a time when the VC well has been running dry, the Cambridge, MA-based firm has been supporting its operations primarily with cash from its pharmaceutical company partners. And now Acceleron has found prospects for additional deals with … Continue reading “Acceleron Weans Itself Off VC, Continues its Roll with Pharma Partner Dollars”

Andera Secures $9,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e4130390-4096-4795-bc4f-4287302c76d8&Preview=1 Date 9/28/2010 Company Name Andera Mailing Address 204 Westminster Street Providence, RI 02903 Company Description Andera is the #1 provider of online account opening and funding solutions in the U.S., serving more financial institution clients than any other vendor. Website http://www.andera.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $9,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “Andera Secures $9,000,000 New Financing Round”

PointCare Technologies Receives $1,765,594 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e2ed64cb-e960-443e-a8f4-5b4173bb3354&Preview=1 Date 9/28/2010 Company Name PointCare Technologies Mailing Address 181 Cedar Hill Street Marlborough, MA 01752 Company Description PointCare is a fully integrated company that invents, develops, manufactures and markets medical diagnostic products. Website http://www.pointcare.net Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,765,594 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “PointCare Technologies Receives $1,765,594 New Funding Round”

Mechanology Garners $5,762,390 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b8059524-dc6c-4c72-83d6-4cf59a8965bb&Preview=1 Date 9/28/2010 Company Name Mechanology Mailing Address 64 Water Street Attleboro, MA 02703 Company Description Mechanology, Inc., is a recognized innovator in the field of compressors and expanders. Our positive displacement technology has been described as the first major innovation in compressors in over 30 years, and Mechanology’s technological developments have … Continue reading “Mechanology Garners $5,762,390 New Funding”

Design Means Business: 2010 Digma Conference

The Design Industry Group of Massachusetts will hold this one-day conference for business leaders to share insights on how design helped their companies. Speakers include executives from Zipcar, Reebok, Sonos, and Genzyme. You can register here for this event.

PoweredUp Boston

“Boston has played a key role in the history of the video game industry and is committed to shaping its future. PoweredUp Boston is a 2-day Conference and Expo focused on the gaming industry in Boston: Hear from leading Boston area developers and thought leaders on the latest local and global issues shaping our industry. … Continue reading “PoweredUp Boston”

MassTLC Innovation 2010 unConference: Designing the Future

“Four generations of entrepreneurs will gather on October 14, 2010 with the focus on driving innovation in the region. Instead of the planned sessions and passive audiences of typical conferences, MassTLC’s Innovation 2010 is an unConference where the agenda is formed organically by all attendees the day of the event. No podiums. No stages. Just … Continue reading “MassTLC Innovation 2010 unConference: Designing the Future”

$1.8M for PointCare Technologies

PointCare Technologies, a Marlborough, MA-based provider of diagnostics technology designed for populations with HIV/AIDS in developing countries, has raised $1.8 million of a planned $3.5 million equity round of funding, an SEC filing reveals. Founded in 2002, PointCare makes lower-cost, multi-purpose medical devices that require less training to use than traditional technologies, according to the company’s … Continue reading “$1.8M for PointCare Technologies”

OnePIN Brings in $1.9M

OnePIN, a Westborough, MA-based provider of software for managing social contacts on mobile phones, has raised $1.9 million of an equity offering that could total $3.1 million, according to an SEC filing. Previous OnePIN investors include FA Technology Ventures, Greycroft Partners, Egan-Managed Capital, and Stage 1 Technology Ventures, according to the company’s website. The filing … Continue reading “OnePIN Brings in $1.9M”

Where Buys LocalGinger, Moves Into Location-Based Daily Deals

Two Massachusetts startups have joined forces to try to crack the location-based daily deals market. Boston-based Where, a mobile search and advertising company, said today it has acquired Newburyport, MA-based LocalGinger, an upstart in the online group-buying sector. Financial details of the stock and cash deal weren’t disclosed, but Where is gaining 10 employees from … Continue reading “Where Buys LocalGinger, Moves Into Location-Based Daily Deals”

Jumptap Gets New CEO

Cambridge, MA-based mobile advertising network provider Jumptap announced today that it has brought on George Bell, formerly managing director of General Catalyst Partners, as its new chief executive officer. Bell will take an indefinite leave from his role at General Catalyst, and replaces former Jumptap CEO Dan Olschwang, who will remain on the company’s board … Continue reading “Jumptap Gets New CEO”

Biotech DecImmune Grabs $1M from Astellas VC

DecImmune Therapeutics has made some news this morning after what appears to be a long silence. The Cambridge, MA-based developer of drugs for tissue damage has raised $1 million in equity funding from Astellas Venture Management, the VC arm of Japanese drug maker Astellas Pharma, according to the company. DecImmune (formerly Natural Antibodies) said that … Continue reading “Biotech DecImmune Grabs $1M from Astellas VC”

Harvest Automation Closes Series A

Billerica, MA-based robotics company Harvest Automation announced today that it has closed its Series A round of funding at $5.3 million, thanks to a $1.3 million investment from Founder Collective, with offices in New York and Cambridge, MA. The company, whose technology comes from iRobot veterans and is out to automate the commercial harvesting of shrubs, … Continue reading “Harvest Automation Closes Series A”

Seattle Genetics, Millennium Generate “Dream” Data With Empowered Antibody Drug for Cancer

Seattle Genetics is making history today, after a dozen years of effort, with groundbreaking clinical trial results in the field of cancer drugs. The results pave the way for the first successful “empowered antibody” drug for cancer, and a new therapy for people who have run out of options for fighting Hodgkin’s disease. The Bothell, … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics, Millennium Generate “Dream” Data With Empowered Antibody Drug for Cancer”

Apperian Appoints New CEO, David Patrick, to Raise Money and Bring Mobile Apps to More Businesses

There’s some interesting personnel news today in the world of mobile software apps for companies. Boston-based Apperian, a mobile development and platform startup, says it has appointed a new CEO as of last week. He is David Patrick, a veteran of Lotus, Sun, Novell, and a number of cutting-edge tech startups on both coasts. He … Continue reading “Apperian Appoints New CEO, David Patrick, to Raise Money and Bring Mobile Apps to More Businesses”

How the Wrong Decision in Schwarzenegger v. EMA Could Cripple Video Game Innovation

In 2005 the Terminator signed a bill to outlaw the sale of “violent” video games to anyone under 18 years of age in California. Granted, he was wearing his off-set persona as the Governor of California, but this irony flows through a case the U.S. Supreme Court is about to hear entitled Schwarzenegger v. EMA. … Continue reading “How the Wrong Decision in Schwarzenegger v. EMA Could Cripple Video Game Innovation”