Is Boston Becoming a Hub for Female Tech Entrepreneurs? Maybe, and Here’s Why

When most people think of the New England tech startup scene, they probably don’t think of a bunch of women. Like most places I’ve visited or lived in, the Boston technology community tends to feel pretty male-dominated. But that might be changing fast. As my colleague Bruce reported today, a CB Insights demographic survey of … Continue reading “Is Boston Becoming a Hub for Female Tech Entrepreneurs? Maybe, and Here’s Why”

Vertex’s Telaprevir Clears Hurdle, Could Halve Treatment Times for Hepatitis C

[Updated. 8:55 am Eastern time. See editor’s note.] Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s (NASDAQ:[[ticker:VRTX]]) lead drug candidate for hepatitis C infection has passed another test. The Cambridge, MA-based company, which has West Coast operations in San Diego, says today that it now has proof that its drug in combination with standard therapies can wipe out the chronic liver … Continue reading “Vertex’s Telaprevir Clears Hurdle, Could Halve Treatment Times for Hepatitis C”

New Startup ViThera Labs Aims “Weaponized” Bacteria Drugs at Gut Diseases

Johannes Fruehauf says he started plotting his next move last fall after diminished capital reserves at his previous employer, Cequent Pharmaceuticals (now part of Marina Biotech), led the company to shrink its research staff from 24 people to six. Fruehauf, an inventor of Cambridge, MA-based Cequent’s gene-silencing technology, decided he wanted to launch his own … Continue reading “New Startup ViThera Labs Aims “Weaponized” Bacteria Drugs at Gut Diseases”

Who Are You? Part 2: Gender and Education Backgrounds of Venture-Backed Internet Startups

As we reported last week, there wasn’t much to surprise the sociologists of innovation in Part 1 of the data CB Insights gleaned about the race, age, and experience of the founders at 165 Internet startups that raised venture capital funding during the first half of 2010. But there are some interesting, and perhaps unexpected, … Continue reading “Who Are You? Part 2: Gender and Education Backgrounds of Venture-Backed Internet Startups”

Tektronix Acquires Arbor Networks

Arbor Networks, a Chelmsford, MA-based developer of security and network management software, has agreed to be acquired by Tektronix Communications, the Texas-based firm now owned by tech conglomerate Danaher (NYSE: [[ticker:DHR]]). Terms of the deal weren’t announced, but it is expected to close next month. Arbor Networks was founded in 2000 by University of Michigan … Continue reading “Tektronix Acquires Arbor Networks”

Syndax Pharma Snags $6M Debt Deal

Syndax Pharmaceuticals, a Waltham, MA-based developer of treatments for cancer, has raised $6 million of a planned $7 million in a round of convertible debt financing, Joanna Horobin, the company’s CEO, confirmed. The information first appeared online in an SEC filing. The round included investments from all of the firm’s previous backers, which include San … Continue reading “Syndax Pharma Snags $6M Debt Deal”

MedNetworks Connects with $5M from Excel Venture Management

Social networks have been growing in popularity among patients and doctors in recent years as a means to share and gather important information from their peers. Now MedNetworks, a Newton, MA-based startup, has nailed down $5 million in a Series A funding round from Excel Venture Management to commercialize technology that makes data generated from … Continue reading “MedNetworks Connects with $5M from Excel Venture Management”

ThingMagic’s Rollercoaster Journey—From the Internet of Things to the Calculus of Reality

ThingMagic is a 10-year-old technology company whose core idea seems as fresh today as when it first started. The bad news: that means it may have been too far ahead of its time. The good news: times are changing. The Cambridge, MA-based firm was founded by five MIT Media Lab alums, who had the goal … Continue reading “ThingMagic’s Rollercoaster Journey—From the Internet of Things to the Calculus of Reality”

Angel Investing: The Most Satisfying Experience You’ll Ever Have

[Editor’s Note: On July 29, leading Silicon Valley angel investor Ron Conway, the founder of SV Angel, gave the opening talk at AngelConf, an afternoon conference for budding angel investors sponsored by the Y Combinator startup incubator program in Mountain View, CA. The following is an edited transcript of Conway’s talk, published by permission.] I’m … Continue reading “Angel Investing: The Most Satisfying Experience You’ll Ever Have”

Managing Design: Talking with Jim Heppelmann, Parametric Technology’s Incoming CEO

Parametric Technology Corporation, better known as PTC (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PMTC]]), is one of the leading companies in Boston’s “3D design cluster”—the group of companies focusing on computer-aided design (CAD) software for the construction, engineering, architecture, and manufacturing sectors. Back in May, Needham, MA-based PTC announced that its current president and CEO, Dick Harrison, will become the … Continue reading “Managing Design: Talking with Jim Heppelmann, Parametric Technology’s Incoming CEO”

Zeo Garners $1,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d252d733-c2c9-42e6-873c-1e52fb451c37&Preview=1 Date 8/9/2010 Company Name Zeo Mailing Address 320 Nevada Street Floor 4 Newton, MA 02460 Company Description Our mission is to help people to discover new, scientifically-based ways to improve the quality of their lives through the power of sleep. We will accomplish this by combining breakthrough educational sleep technology and … Continue reading “Zeo Garners $1,000,000 New Financing”

Basho Technologies Secures $2,000,000 Series C Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cec88ed6-c443-45f8-ae6e-2cff92f03c97&Preview=1 Date 8/9/2010 Company Name Basho Technologies Mailing Address 196 Broadway Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Basho Technologies delivers sales software and services that drive more deals more efficiently to generate more revenue. Sales professionals no longer need to guess what works and what doesn’t as they navigate the sales process. With … Continue reading “Basho Technologies Secures $2,000,000 Series C Funding Round”

MedNetworks Obtains $5,000,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c61bd406-bb8b-4d01-9554-bc4cbe3228b2&Preview=1 Date 8/9/2010 Company Name MedNetworks Mailing Address 3 Newton Executive Park Newton, MA 02462 Company Description MedNetworks applies unique, highly validated, and fully functional technology to map, analyze and activate social networks across a broad range of constituencies: consumers, patients, health plan members, physicians, hospitals, etc. Website http://www.MedNetworks.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “MedNetworks Obtains $5,000,000 Series A Financing Round”

Tektronix Acquires Arbor Networks for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0cc202cc-5dc6-4b5b-8942-9c0cfebae97f&Preview=1 Date 8/9/2010 Company Name Arbor Networks Mailing Address 6 Omni Way Chelmsford, MA 01824 Company Description Arbor Networks delivers network security and operational performance for global business networks. From the service provider cloud to the enterprise core, the Arbor Peakflow network behavior analysis and anomaly detection solution delivers unmatched network-wide visibility … Continue reading “Tektronix Acquires Arbor Networks for Undisclosed Sum”

Apredica Acquired by Cyprotex

Watertown, MA-based Apredica, a company that does preclinical toxicology assessments of drug candidates, is being acquired by U.K.-based contract research firm Cyprotex for £2.68 million in cash and stock. Katya Tsaioun, the co-founder and CEO of Apredica, will become chief scientific officer of the merged company. Cyprotex says all of Apredica’s employees will remain with … Continue reading “Apredica Acquired by Cyprotex”

Why Micro-VCs Are So Damn Friendly, and More Insights from Rob Go’s and David Beisel’s Blogs

Some quick observations on the micro VC phenomenon, spurred by running into Rob Go this morning at the Andala Café in Central Square…Go is the co-founder of NextView Ventures, a seed-stage tech investment firm (previously he was with Spark Capital). “Micro VC” refers to the emerging segment of venture capital in which investors put small … Continue reading “Why Micro-VCs Are So Damn Friendly, and More Insights from Rob Go’s and David Beisel’s Blogs”

ThredUP Swaps Boston-Area Office for San Francisco; Leaving New England Has Tradeoffs, CEO Says

News hit yesterday that Cambridge, MA-based thredUP, an online platform for swapping used children’s clothing, will be packing up for San Francisco next month, as first reported on Scott Kirsner’s Innovation Economy blog. The company has signed a lease for a building near the city’s Union Square neighborhood starting in September, CEO James Reinhart says. … Continue reading “ThredUP Swaps Boston-Area Office for San Francisco; Leaving New England Has Tradeoffs, CEO Says”

How to Banish Business Cards: A Ranked List of Digital Options

Business cards are the scourge of anyone trying to go paperless. Sure, the basic concept is brilliant: a business card provides a compact, easily transferable storage location for all of the key data about another person. But it’s a mystery to me why the traditional paper business card, a descendant of the 17th-century visiting card, … Continue reading “How to Banish Business Cards: A Ranked List of Digital Options”

Venture-Backed IPOs Recovering but Weak: We Compare Results for San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, & San Diego

Amid an overall improvement in IPOs, a survey by Menlo Park, CA-based VentureDeal shows 21 venture-capital backed technology or life sciences companies went public in the U.S. during the first six months of 2010, raising a total of $1.9 billion in gross proceeds. VentureDeal’s IPO activity report is focused on a specific subgroup of technology … Continue reading “Venture-Backed IPOs Recovering but Weak: We Compare Results for San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, & San Diego”

How Lilly Let Telaprevir Go to Vertex, SV Focusing on Health IT With Latest Fund, Genzyme Isis Cholesterol Drug Shows Strong in Clinical Trial, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

The past week brought news of clinical trials and funding from drugmakers, as well as a look at venture investing strategy in health IT, and an update on the Genzyme-Sanofi buyout rumors. Catch up on those stories and more below: —With its recently closed $523 million fund, SV Life Sciences plans to put a greater … Continue reading “How Lilly Let Telaprevir Go to Vertex, SV Focusing on Health IT With Latest Fund, Genzyme Isis Cholesterol Drug Shows Strong in Clinical Trial, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Syndax Pharmaceuticals Obtains $6,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a57acdfe-2712-4290-b1d8-1da2824eeb54&Preview=1 Date 8/6/2010 Company Name Syndax Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 460 Totten Pond Road Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a Waltham, MA-based, oncology-focused biotechnology company that is building a portfolio of new oncology products to extend and improve the lives of patients by developing and commercializing novel cancer therapies … Continue reading “Syndax Pharmaceuticals Obtains $6,000,000 New Financing Round”

Scientific Games Acquires GameLogic for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4a9c0a73-2fc2-4e4f-a196-5ec28b5c092e&Preview=1 Date 8/6/2010 Company Name GameLogic Mailing Address 411 Waverley Oaks Road Waltham, MA 02452 Company Description GameLogic innovates Virtual Play gaming entertainment platforms to help legal casinos and government-sponsored lotteries create new revenues, increase return visits and improve player loyalty. Website http://www.gamelogic.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds … Continue reading “Scientific Games Acquires GameLogic for Undisclosed Sum”

How Do You Spell Innovation? H-O-R-S-E. Tourney in Kendall Square Tomorrow

Calling all basketball players and fans… Want to hang out and shoot some hoops on a summer afternoon? We at Xconomy—OK, at least Bob and I—are excited to invite our readers and members of the startup and innovation community to an informal H-O-R-S-E tourney tomorrow. Come one, come all. It will take place from 1:00-2:30 … Continue reading “How Do You Spell Innovation? H-O-R-S-E. Tourney in Kendall Square Tomorrow”

Viridity Raises $8M More, Looks to Make Data Centers More Energy Efficient by Tracking Each IT Component

Remember last year when there was that flap about how much power it takes, and how much carbon is emitted, when you do a Google search? OK, so maybe you can do something like 15,000 searches before you reach the environmental footprint of a cheeseburger. But there are still a slew of companies tackling the … Continue reading “Viridity Raises $8M More, Looks to Make Data Centers More Energy Efficient by Tracking Each IT Component”

Of Genzyme, Sanofi-Aventis, Biotech Buyout Gossip, and Angry Patients

Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) and Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE:[[ticker:SNY]]) have continued to be tight-lipped about their rumored buyout talks, making no official comments about Paris-based Sanofi’s reported efforts to scoop up the largest biotech company in Massachusetts. But the two companies’ silence hasn’t kept unnamed insiders from whispering updates on the Genzyme-Sanofi talks into the eager ears of the … Continue reading “Of Genzyme, Sanofi-Aventis, Biotech Buyout Gossip, and Angry Patients”

Advanced Electron Beams, With DOE and VC Money in Tow, Tackles Air Pollution

Wilmington, MA-based Advanced Electron Beams is developing energy-efficient technology in a sector that typically doesn’t attract the same attention as hybrid cars or green buildings: industrial manufacturing. The company makes a device that CEO Mitch Tyson describes as a stainless-steel light bulb, which emits a cloud of high-speed electrons to produce a blue glow, replacing … Continue reading “Advanced Electron Beams, With DOE and VC Money in Tow, Tackles Air Pollution”

In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s Investment Arm, Quietly Backing Seventh Sense Biosystems

Few people know that In-Q-Tel, the nonprofit investment arm of the U.S. intelligence community, has a stake in the Cambridge, MA-based startup Seventh Sense Biosystems. Neither In-Q-Tel nor Seventh Sense has ever publicized their relationship, which came to Xconomy’s attention recently. Arlington, VA-based In-Q-Tel—which invests in lots of startups with technologies that could aid the … Continue reading “In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s Investment Arm, Quietly Backing Seventh Sense Biosystems”

Ikonisys Garners $3,800,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b9ce8806-e45a-4df5-8c3e-3b743eabc21b&Preview=1 Date 8/5/2010 Company Name Ikonisys Mailing Address 5 Science Park New Haven, CT 06511 Company Description Ikonisys develops, commercializes and markets a robotic digital microscopy platform for cancer diagnosis and management, prenatal detection of genetic disorders, and fertility testing. We are headquartered at Yale’s Science Park in New Haven, Connecticut, with … Continue reading “Ikonisys Garners $3,800,000 New Financing”

Seventh Sense Biosystems Obtains New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c2603159-c738-4852-9a05-3ea0e062c7b8&Preview=1 Date 8/5/2010 Company Name Seventh Sense Biosystems Mailing Address One Memorial Drive 7th Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Seventh Sense Biosystems Inc is a medical device startup company. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture … Continue reading “Seventh Sense Biosystems Obtains New Financing Round”

Genzyme, Isis Cholesterol Drug Passes Pair of Clinical Trials; Shares Fall Anyway

Genzyme has been all over the news in the past week because of takeover speculation, but today when fundamental news came out about one of its most important assets for the future, investors yawned. Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]) and its partner, Carlsbad, CA-based Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]) said today that their drug for people … Continue reading “Genzyme, Isis Cholesterol Drug Passes Pair of Clinical Trials; Shares Fall Anyway”

Vertex Tops Merck

Cambridge, MA-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s (NASDAQ:[[ticker:VRTX]]) stock price has lifted slightly this morning after Merck (NYSE:[[ticker:MRK]]) reported results of two Phase III trials for its rival protease inhibitor for hepatitis C infection, boceprevir. While Merck’s drug met the primary goals of the trials, it didn’t wipe out the chronic liver disease quite a much as Vertex’s … Continue reading “Vertex Tops Merck”

Stealthy Beaumaris Networks Banks $9M, Appears to Be Expanding in China

Beaumaris Networks, a surreptitious startup developing technology for video service providers, has raised just shy of $9 million in a planned $10 million funding round, according to an SEC filing. The Boxborough, MA-based firm, which was launched in February 2009, also says on its website that it has a research and development operation in Beijing. … Continue reading “Stealthy Beaumaris Networks Banks $9M, Appears to Be Expanding in China”

Blue Cod Tech Catches $8M

Marlborough, MA-based Blue Cod Technologies, a provider of outsourcing services and hosted policy administration software for the insurance industry, has raised $8 million in follow-on financing, according to a press release. General Electric Pension Trust led the financing, which included an investment from previous backer Edison Venture Fund, of Lawrenceville, NJ. The funding will help … Continue reading “Blue Cod Tech Catches $8M”

Skyhook Wireless Digs In, Touts Location Patents After Apple Drops Technology From iPhone

When it comes to mobile software and devices these days, it’s all about location, location, location. And if you’re a small, leading-edge company in the sector—if you’ve played a pioneering role in bringing location-based technologies to market, and millions of devices use your software—well, you’d better watch your back. That’s my take upon hearing the … Continue reading “Skyhook Wireless Digs In, Touts Location Patents After Apple Drops Technology From iPhone”

How Eli Lilly Let a Billion-Dollar Molecule Slip Away and Make a Fortune for Vertex

Careers can be made in the drug development business on a single drug like telaprevir, the hepatitis C treatment from Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:VRTX]]). If it gets approved, the drug has the potential to become a leading treatment for the chronic liver disease—and to make a multibillion-dollar fortune for Cambridge, MA-based Vertex—within the next few years. … Continue reading “How Eli Lilly Let a Billion-Dollar Molecule Slip Away and Make a Fortune for Vertex”

Boston-Power Expands Series E Round, Storwize Scooped Up By IBM, PerkinElmer Acquires VisEn, & More Boston-Area Deals News

In the last week, we’ve seen acquisitions in both the life sciences and IT spaces, as well as an IPO and startup funding. —Curt Schilling’s Maynard, MA-based video game company, 38 Studios, attracted $75 million in loan guarantees from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, according to media reports. In exchange, the company has pledged … Continue reading “Boston-Power Expands Series E Round, Storwize Scooped Up By IBM, PerkinElmer Acquires VisEn, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

Blue Cod Technologies Obtains $8,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0bf52014-8c2c-43c1-ad72-780903ef1a8f&Preview=1 Date 8/4/2010 Company Name Blue Cod Technologies Mailing Address 295 Donald Lynch Blvd. Marlborough, MA 01752 Company Description Blue Cod Technologies, Inc. delivers Management and IT consulting, innovative software solutions and applications outsourcing services for today’s service industries such as insurance, financial services and utilities. Website http://www.bluecod.net Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Blue Cod Technologies Obtains $8,000,000 New Funding Round”

Usability Bootcamp

This workshop is out to bring users into the process of evaluating and improving your product design. It will highlight how incorporate customers into the process of testing software and product interfaces for ease of use.

Appswell Powers iPhone App for GE Ecomagination Challenge in Cleantech

Cambridge, MA-based Appswell’s crowdsourced approach to mobile applications development is going green. The startup announced today it is powering the mobile app component for General Electric’s Ecomagination Challenge, a $200 million contest aimed at generating innovative ideas in renewable energy, smart grid technology, and eco-friendly building technology. Appswell, which describes itself as an “American Idol” … Continue reading “Appswell Powers iPhone App for GE Ecomagination Challenge in Cleantech”

SilverRail, $9M in Tow, Goes After International Railway Market in Online Travel

It’s about time someone cracked the online travel search-and-ticketing market for trains. Hotels and airlines are pretty crowded sectors, especially in the U.S., but railway systems might hold some promise—at least abroad. Enter SilverRail Technologies, a young company based in the Boston and London areas. Founded a year ago by CEO Aaron Gowell, formerly of … Continue reading “SilverRail, $9M in Tow, Goes After International Railway Market in Online Travel”

PerkinElmer Buys VisEn Medical

Waltham, MA-based PerkinElmer (NYSE:[[ticker:PKI]]), a provider of research technologies and diagnostics, has acquired VisEn Medical for an undisclosed sum, according to the companies. Bedford, MA-based VisEn, which makes in vivo fluorescence imaging products, was co-founded in 2000 by Ralph Weissleder, the director of the Center for Systems Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, and company CEO … Continue reading “PerkinElmer Buys VisEn Medical”

Who Are You? Charting the Demographics of Venture-Backed Internet Startups

Our friends at CB Insights, a New York information services firm that tracks investments in private companies, have been busy gathering new insights about the demographics of venture-backed Internet companies. They’ve put together a report based on data about the founders of 165 early stage Internet companies that raised their first round of institutional venture … Continue reading “Who Are You? Charting the Demographics of Venture-Backed Internet Startups”

Ascent Venture Partners Says Data Intelligence Is the Next Big Thing, Tech Startups Will Get Scooped Up Like Biotechs, and Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Boston-based Ascent Venture Partners seems to know what it’s good at. The firm, which started as a VC subsidiary of the Pioneer Group and went independent in 1999, has stayed faithful to its focus on early-stage IT companies. “We don’t try to redefine ourselves around every fund on what’s the flavor of the day,” Ascent … Continue reading “Ascent Venture Partners Says Data Intelligence Is the Next Big Thing, Tech Startups Will Get Scooped Up Like Biotechs, and Bigger Isn’t Always Better”

The Embargo System in Science News Needs Some Peer Review

Ever wonder how it is that the day a big scientific paper is published, or a groundbreaking presentation is given at a meeting, all major media outlets seem to have the story right away? It doesn’t happen by chance. The massive coordination effort is known as the embargo system. It is one of the most … Continue reading “The Embargo System in Science News Needs Some Peer Review”

CaseNET Receives $2,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b78bea9a-d1db-4920-a588-c0f639a00f06&Preview=1 Date 8/3/2010 Company Name CaseNET Mailing Address 23 Crosby Drive Bedford, MA 01730 Company Description The company is a developer of care management software for workers’ compensation and health care organizations. Website http://www.casenetinc.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms … Continue reading “CaseNET Receives $2,000,000 New Funding Round”

SilverRail Technologies Garners $9,000,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c3736c72-8ea4-46cc-bdd3-e24a150a5bd1&Preview=1 Date 8/3/2010 Company Name SilverRail Technologies Mailing Address Undisclosed Boston, MA 02108 Company Description SilverRail connects the world of rail. We specialize in building best-in-class technical solutions that help Railways and Travel Distributors to easily connect with each other. Website http://www.silverrailtech.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $9,000,000 Transaction Round Series … Continue reading “SilverRail Technologies Garners $9,000,000 Series A Funding”