In 2007 Shelby Clark’s car died just as he crossed into San Francisco, ready to start work with micro-lending nonprofit Kiva.org. He discovered ZipCar once he got to the Bay Area and a year later still hadn’t bought a car of his own. Fast-forward to November 2008. Clark had moved to Boston to attend Harvard … Continue reading “RelayRides, Out to Be the Community-Powered Zipcar, Hits the Ground With Pilot Rental Program”
Category: Boston
Pyxis Mobile Lands $2,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2c7bb72e-92c7-4d73-8bef-5b9ed7d49681&Preview=1 Date 6/22/2010 Company Name Pyxis Mobile Mailing Address 1601 Trapelo Road Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Pyxis Mobile is the leading provider of innovative wireless software that meets the diverse needs of the financial services industry. Pyxis Mobile mPlatform® solutions are used by mobile financial professionals to extend critical business data … Continue reading “Pyxis Mobile Lands $2,000,000 New Round”
Tatara Systems Secures $7,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cbad3dc4-5598-420b-b174-7cd3b30ff0e2&Preview=1 Date 6/22/2010 Company Name Tatara Systems Mailing Address 35 Nagog Park Acton, MA 01720 Company Description Tatara invents, develops, and deploys solutions for communication service providers allowing them to offer converged mobile services to their subscribers. Website http://www.tatarasystems.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Tatara Systems Secures $7,000,000 New Funding Round”
MIT Startup peerTransfer Wins Global Entrepreneurship Competition in Barcelona
[Updated 2:30 pm 6/21/10 (see bottom).] Score one for Boston innovation—and MIT startups in particular. Cambridge, MA-based peerTransfer, an online money transfer and global payments company spun out of MIT, has won the 20,000-Euro prize for the most promising early-stage startup in the HIT Global Entrepreneurship Competition. The award was given late last week as … Continue reading “MIT Startup peerTransfer Wins Global Entrepreneurship Competition in Barcelona”
Mass Innovation Night
Mass Innovation Nights are out to connect entrepreneurs with the market, through free monthly parties. July’s installment has a slew of tech startups, with a special focus on the energy and cleantech cluster. RSVP online.
The Momentum Summit
Investors and entrepreneurs will dish on how to translate great ideas into viable businesses, at this event. Hear from founders and execs at Zipcar, TripAdvisor, Retail Convergence, VistaPrint, and Akamai. Sign up here.
MITEF Start-up Clinic
Learn lessons in retail innovation at this MIT Enterprise Forum event. Aisle Buyer is out to eliminate lines for shoppers, and DiJiPOP is working on an ad platform for e-commerce sites. Register online for this one.
MITEF Digital Media Smackdown & Debate
Complaints are encouraged at this MIT Enterprise Forum event. The organization is accepting complaints on the biggest challenges in the digital media industry, and the gripes that receive the most attendee votes at the event will score prizes. They’ll also be discussing top headlines in digital media over the last year. Register here.
MITEF Innovation Series: “From Disruption to Innovation”
Hear from three entrepreneurs who are living out the “innovate or die” ethos, at this MIT Enterprise Forum event. Learn how these innovators are shaking things up in e-commerce, communications, and healthcare. Register here.
Jackpot Rewards Scores $14M
Newton, MA-based Jackpot Rewards, a provider of online sweepstakes and rewards programs, has raised $14.1 million in a convertible debt financing, according to an SEC filing. The startup pulled in $12 million in debt-based funding back in October. Wade profiled Jackpot in February 2008 when it announced plans for weekly $1 million sweepstakes with guaranteed … Continue reading “Jackpot Rewards Scores $14M”
Pawan Deshpande, Son of Desh Deshpande, Launches Software for Automating Corporate Blogging
Having your son follow in your footsteps seems like a pretty good Father’s Day present. Pawan Deshpande, son of well-known Boston-area entrepreneur Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, is announcing the formal launch of his Cambridge-based startup HiveFire‘s software product today. The younger Deshpande’s technology and market differ greatly from his father’s ventures (which include optical switch maker … Continue reading “Pawan Deshpande, Son of Desh Deshpande, Launches Software for Automating Corporate Blogging”
You Can Go Home Again: Five Themes to Watch in the Boston Innovation Scene
Sometimes you have to leave a place in order to really appreciate it. That’s not the case for me and Boston. I’ve always loved this area—but coming home after a two-year stint away makes for a nice opportunity to put my appreciation down in words. So, as the incoming Editor of Xconomy Boston, I hope … Continue reading “You Can Go Home Again: Five Themes to Watch in the Boston Innovation Scene”
Metcalfe Says Gore Is Back for Another Bubble, Fitton Likens Raising Angel Funding to Dating, Xconomy CEO Sings New England’s Praises (Literally), and More XSITE 2010 Highlights
Thanks to everyone who made it out to Babson College for the 2010 Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, & Entrepreneurship! We had a great crowd, representing all slices of the innovation community here in New England. And we heard some new, off-the-cuff perspectives from some familiar faces, as well as talks from emerging companies and … Continue reading “Metcalfe Says Gore Is Back for Another Bubble, Fitton Likens Raising Angel Funding to Dating, Xconomy CEO Sings New England’s Praises (Literally), and More XSITE 2010 Highlights”
Jackpot Rewards Lands $14,100,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=513aaf23-c2c1-45b0-a10f-effcaf9859ab&Preview=1 Date 6/21/2010 Company Name Jackpot Rewards Mailing Address 275 Grove Street Newton, MA 02466 Company Description The company operates on online lottery website. Website http://www.jackpotrewards.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $14,100,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed
Prime View Adopts E Ink Name
Prime View International, the Hsinchu, Taiwan-based display manufacturer that acquired Cambridge, MA-based E Ink last year for a price that eventually amounted to $450 million, announced today that its entire operation will now go by the name E Ink Holdings Incorporated. Along with the electrophoretic screens developed by E Ink over the last 13 years—which … Continue reading “Prime View Adopts E Ink Name”
Meet Greg, and Say Goodbye to Wade, Next Tuesday at Cambridge Brewing Company
By now most Xconomy fans know that we’re in the middle of a big game of musical chairs inside the company. Well, next Tuesday night will be your chance to join the fun. We’re throwing an open party at the Cambridge Brewing Company, at One Kendall Square in Cambridge, to welcome Greg Huang, who’s leaving … Continue reading “Meet Greg, and Say Goodbye to Wade, Next Tuesday at Cambridge Brewing Company”
Goodbye, Boston
Who was it who wrote, “If Silicon Valley didn’t exist, Boston would have to invent it in order to have someplace to feel inferior to”? Oh wait, that was me. It was a snarky thing to say—but it was back in February 2009, and I was feeling piqued at the time about calls for a … Continue reading “Goodbye, Boston”
Curis Misses Mark in Cancer Drug Trial, Genzyme Re-Elects Full Board, GTC Cuts Jobs, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
This week we saw news from Genzyme’s much-awaited annual meeting, in addition to funding news and profiles of startups with Boston roots and West Coast backing. —Nonprofit organization Women Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology held its third annual Leadership Awards celebration. Three of the four award winners were from life sciences companies: On-Q-ity CEO Mara … Continue reading “Curis Misses Mark in Cancer Drug Trial, Genzyme Re-Elects Full Board, GTC Cuts Jobs, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
iPierian, With Harvard Science and Kleiner Perkins Cash, Pursues Stem Cells to Make Drugs
Stem cells captivated the broad public imagination more than a decade ago, and despite all the hyperbole about creating Lazarus-like regenerative medicines, nobody has built a powerhouse business on this technology. Now a little company in South San Francisco, iPierian has a vision for using stem cells in a way that may not generate magazine … Continue reading “iPierian, With Harvard Science and Kleiner Perkins Cash, Pursues Stem Cells to Make Drugs”
Two Ways to Spark More Life Science Innovation, and One Way IT Can Avoid Harming Medicine
1. The number one thing entrepreneurs and VCs can do is focus on creating science-driven companies that are committed to making enormous differences in the lives of patients. They should take advantage of the amazingly rapid pace of biomedical discovery from academia and the enormous interest from pharma in true innovation driven by entrepreneurial cultures … Continue reading “Two Ways to Spark More Life Science Innovation, and One Way IT Can Avoid Harming Medicine”
Magoosh, Test Prep Startup From Berkeley, Wins Inaugural North Bridge Seed Competition
Berkeley, CA-based Magoosh, a developer of low-cost online multimedia materials for the lucrative test preparation industry, is one of two startups to snag the top prize in North Bridge Venture Partners‘ first seed capital competition. Both Magoosh and Pittstown, NJ-based Profitably, a business intelligence software startup focused on small businesses, will receive $50,000 in seed … Continue reading “Magoosh, Test Prep Startup From Berkeley, Wins Inaugural North Bridge Seed Competition”
Daktari Diagnostics, Backed by Gates Foundation, Raises Funds for HIV Test Study
Daktari Diagnostics is finding more support from both nonprofit and for-profit investors to make monitoring the health of HIV patients easy and cheap. The Cambridge, MA-based startup has added $820,000 to its Series A round this month as it prepares to begin its first clinical trials this summer with its inexpensive technology for measuring an … Continue reading “Daktari Diagnostics, Backed by Gates Foundation, Raises Funds for HIV Test Study”
Affirmed Networks Nabs $11M
Waltham, MA-based Affirmed Networks, a stealth telecom startup, has raised $10.9 million out of an equity offering of $11.5 million, according to a regulatory filing. The news was reported earlier by Mass High Tech, which confirmed the company is being incubated at Charles River Ventures and is also backed by Matrix Partners. The report says … Continue reading “Affirmed Networks Nabs $11M”
Boston Biomedical Gets $2M
Boston Biomedical, a Norwood, MA-based biotech startup focused on cancer drugs, has raised $2 million in equity financing, according to an SEC filing. Li Chiang, the CEO and founder of Boston Biomedical, was not immediately available for comment this afternoon. It’s unclear who invested in the round. The company in April issued a press release … Continue reading “Boston Biomedical Gets $2M”
Genzyme Annual Meeting Remarkably Mundane, Despite Rocky Year
Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme’s annual meeting was over in about an hour, and although the company took some hard questions from a shareholder about an internal investigation into insider trading and other matters, it appears that chairman and CEO Henri Termeer and the rest of the company’s directors were easily re-elected to serve on the board … Continue reading “Genzyme Annual Meeting Remarkably Mundane, Despite Rocky Year”
Curis Stock Tanks After Cancer Drug Fails in Roche, Genentech’s Hands
Curis, the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company, is having a very bad day. The company’s stock plunged more than 40 percent today after its experimental cancer drug failed to reach its goal in a clinical trial conducted by its partner, Roche, and its U.S.-based Genentech unit. Curis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRIS]]) said that its experimental therapy, GDC-0449, failed … Continue reading “Curis Stock Tanks After Cancer Drug Fails in Roche, Genentech’s Hands”
GTC Axes 50 Workers, CEO Out
GTC Biotherapeutics, the Framingham, MA-based company that won FDA approval for the first drug manufactured in genetically modified animals, has cut 50 jobs in connection with a new $7 million convertible debt financing round. The company’s CEO, Geoffrey Cox and “several other members of the current senior management team” will be leaving the company, according … Continue reading “GTC Axes 50 Workers, CEO Out”
Of Angel Tsunamis, the X Prize, Wireless Power, Mobile Health, & More —XSITE 2010 is Tomorrow
Everyone in the innovation community knows entrepreneurs and big companies alike are hard at work across New England building the next economy. But tomorrow, at XSITE 2010—the Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship—we are bringing together some 50 companies and 30 startups, and a host of VCs, angel investors, and innovators from around the … Continue reading “Of Angel Tsunamis, the X Prize, Wireless Power, Mobile Health, & More —XSITE 2010 is Tomorrow”
Predictive Biosciences Pockets $25M Round, Launching First Bladder Cancer Tests
Predictive Biosciences has found a key piece of the puzzle to commercialize its lab tests for bladder cancer. The Lexington, MA-based company has raised $25 million in a Series C round of funding, giving the firm cash to start selling its bladder cancer test and continue research and development of its diagnostics technology, CEO Peter … Continue reading “Predictive Biosciences Pockets $25M Round, Launching First Bladder Cancer Tests”
Tim Berners-Lee and Group of Boston Web Gurus Leading New MIT Class to Get Linked Data to Market
The usual sequence for high-tech entrepreneurs is to study, get a degree, get a job, then start a company and build a product. But a star-studded team of instructors for Linked Data Ventures, a graduate-level class premiering at MIT this fall, hopes to mix that up a bit. They envision the course as a direct … Continue reading “Tim Berners-Lee and Group of Boston Web Gurus Leading New MIT Class to Get Linked Data to Market”
Polaris Raises $234M for New Fund, BioScale Pins Down $25M, Clinical Data Nets $30M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
New England-area deal-making news came back with a roar in the last week. We saw headlines of stock sales, myriad stages of venture funding, acquisitions, and a top venture capital firm’s moves to raise money for a new fund. —Etouches, a Ridgefield, CT-based meeting planning company turned software-as-a-service business, said it raised $2.5 million in … Continue reading “Polaris Raises $234M for New Fund, BioScale Pins Down $25M, Clinical Data Nets $30M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
GTC Biotherapeutics Lands $7,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6f171dfb-9129-4d0a-ab32-4f9a3d3a2048&Preview=1 Date 6/16/2010 Company Name GTC Biotherapeutics Mailing Address 175 Crossing Blvd. Framingham, MA 01702 Company Description GTC Biotherapeutics develops, produces, and commercializes therapeutic proteins through transgenic animal technology. ATryn, our recombinant form of human antithrombin, is the first transgenically produced protein to be approved anywhere in the world, having recently been … Continue reading “GTC Biotherapeutics Lands $7,000,000 New Financing”
Affirmed Networks Garners $10,900,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f607bc20-be29-4b2f-9521-6fef0c5c195f&Preview=1 Date 6/16/2010 Company Name Affirmed Networks Mailing Address 1000 Winter St. Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description The company is developing unspecified telecom related technologies. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,900,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Charles River Ventures Venture … Continue reading “Affirmed Networks Garners $10,900,000 New Financing”
Predictive BioSciences Obtains $25,000,000 Series C Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=54ef47c0-3617-4ab9-8ae7-a9b0c53529c7&Preview=1 Date 6/16/2010 Company Name Predictive BioSciences Mailing Address 128 Spring Street 400 Level B Annex Lexington, MA 02421 Company Description Predictive Biosciences is a molecular diagnostics company headquartered in Lexington, MA. Launched in 2006 with a $10 million Series A financing, the company was jointly founded by leading healthcare investors, experienced … Continue reading “Predictive BioSciences Obtains $25,000,000 Series C Funding”
Boston Biomedical Garners $2,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cb2a5530-786d-422b-b07b-dbb3f50a000f&Preview=1 Date 6/16/2010 Company Name Boston Biomedical Mailing Address 333 Providence Hwy. Norwood, MA 02062 Company Description Boston Biomedical, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company focusing on research and development of novel therapeutics to treat cancer. Website http://www.Bostonbiomedical.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Specific … Continue reading “Boston Biomedical Garners $2,000,000 New Funding”
Gaia Metrics Secures $500,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cba6ddae-8465-48ec-a0ce-c514b2e63a1a&Preview=1 Date 6/16/2010 Company Name Gaia Metrics Mailing Address 48 Grove St. Somerville, MA 02144 Company Description Gaia Metrics helps companies and investors discover, qualify and truly understand the financial risk attached to environmental and social factors in their operations and supply chains. Website http://www.gaia-metrics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $500,000 … Continue reading “Gaia Metrics Secures $500,000 New Financing Round”
FoldRx Pharma Finds $29M, Plans to Seek Approval of First Drug in 2010
FoldRx Pharmaceuticals has rallied new and previous investors to raise $29 million in a round of bridge financing, the company reports today. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm’s new round included new investors Novo Ventures and Morgenthaler Ventures. Existing investors participating in the round included Alta Partners, Fidelity Biosciences, HealthCare Ventures, Novartis Venture Funds, and TPG … Continue reading “FoldRx Pharma Finds $29M, Plans to Seek Approval of First Drug in 2010”
Genzyme Borrows $1B for Stock Buyback
Genzyme is raising cash to buy shares of its own stock, in a move that will mean taking on debt to gain more control of its shares. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech powerhouse (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) reports today that it will sell $1 billion in corporate debt to complete the first part of a $2 billion share buyback … Continue reading “Genzyme Borrows $1B for Stock Buyback”
LS9, Creator of Synthetic Microbes to Make Biofuel, Edges Toward Moment of Truth
Every hot startup has to put up or shut up at some point. This is when it’s time to stop talking about the gee-whiz founding idea and scientific progress. It’s the point when a company needs to prove it can operate a disciplined, sustainable business. The moment is fast approaching for LS9. LS9, the South … Continue reading “LS9, Creator of Synthetic Microbes to Make Biofuel, Edges Toward Moment of Truth”
Hatching a Lark: An Entrepreneur’s Journey Through the Business Plan Competitions
Startups are constantly using biology jargon—phrases like “incubation,” “entrepreneurial ecosystem,” “symbiotic relationships.” I never fully appreciated these analogies until this year, when my team and I became the sleep-deprived but happy parents of Lark Technologies, Inc., or Lark for short. We have been diligently incubated by many university competitions—kept at a suitable temperature in a … Continue reading “Hatching a Lark: An Entrepreneur’s Journey Through the Business Plan Competitions”
Stonewedge Obtains $1,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=15fdf231-9624-44b5-ac77-16afb579cacc&Preview=1 Date 6/15/2010 Company Name Stonewedge Mailing Address 28 Andover St. Andover, MA 01810 Company Description Stonewedge is developing its core platform with a focus on the requirements of older adults, their care givers and families. Stonewedge products will elevate the delivery, quality and efficiency of health and wellness services provided to … Continue reading “Stonewedge Obtains $1,000,000 New Financing Round”
FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Garners $29,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=582cabb3-5e08-43b2-acb3-f789a66fc3d1&Preview=1 Date 6/15/2010 Company Name FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 100 Acorn Park Drive 5th Floor Cambridge, MA 02140 Company Description FoldRx is a leader in the discovery and development of first in class disease modifying drug therapies for diseases of protein misfolding and amyloidosis. Website http://www.foldrx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Garners $29,000,000 New Financing”
TerraPower, Gates and Myhrvold’s Nuclear Play, Nabs $35M from Charles River, Khosla Ventures
What were we just saying about cross-pollinating ideas between Seattle, Boston, and San Francisco? As if to hammer home the point, Bellevue, WA-based nuclear reactor startup TerraPower announced today it has raised $35 million in Series B funding led by Charles River Ventures, based in Waltham, MA. Silicon Valley-based Khosla Ventures also participated in the … Continue reading “TerraPower, Gates and Myhrvold’s Nuclear Play, Nabs $35M from Charles River, Khosla Ventures”
Former MIT Architecture Dean Bill Mitchell Dies at 65, Cemented Legacy with Campus Development
(Updated—6/15/10 at 8:35 am Eastern time) Bill Mitchell, an academic expert in urban design who helped oversee the $1 billion development project on MIT’s main campus in Kendall Square, died on June 11 after a long bout with cancer, according to MIT News. He was 65. Mitchell, who joined the MIT faculty in 1992, was … Continue reading “Former MIT Architecture Dean Bill Mitchell Dies at 65, Cemented Legacy with Campus Development”
Girls in Tech: Biotech in Boston
Area networking group Girls in Tech is sharpening its focus a bit this month, with the first meet-up themed on the biotech industry. Researchers and execs from organizations such as Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Genzyme, and Wolfe Laboratories will present. Sign up here.
Clinical Data Closes $32M Offering
Clinical Data (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CLDA]]), the Newton, MA-based drug developer, reports today that it has closed on the sale of 2.24 million shares of common stock. The stock offering brought in $32 million, of which the company plans to clear $30 million after expenses. The company is pursuing approval of its first drug, vilazodone, for treating depression. … Continue reading “Clinical Data Closes $32M Offering”
Polaris Venture Partners Captures $233M of $400M Fund
Polaris Venture Partners, a $3 billion-plus venture firm, has found more capital to back technology and life sciences firms. The Waltham, MA-based venture firm has closed on $233.8 million of a planned $400 million for its Polaris Venture Partners VI LP fund, according to an SEC filing. When people talk about the leading venture funds, … Continue reading “Polaris Venture Partners Captures $233M of $400M Fund”
Big Moves for Xconomy Boston (and all of Xconomy) as Wade Heads West and Greg Returns East
It’s official. As we have been telling folks informally, and as reported last week in the Boston Globe, Xconomy chief correspondent Wade Roush is heading west to become editor of Xconomy San Francisco, which officially launched today. Wade, who has been working out of our Kendall Square offices since just after the launch of Xconomy … Continue reading “Big Moves for Xconomy Boston (and all of Xconomy) as Wade Heads West and Greg Returns East”
BioScale Grabs $25M Round
BioScale, a Cambridge, MA-based maker of life sciences research and diagnostics tools that analyze proteins, reports today it has nailed down a $25 million round of financing. China’s Morningside Venture led the new round, which included investments from the company’s previous backers New Science Ventures and WFD Ventures, both of which are located in New … Continue reading “BioScale Grabs $25M Round”
Sonicbids Acquires ArtistData
Boston-based Sonicbids, whose website helps bands discover and book gigs, announced it has acquired ArtistData, an online platform for publishing gig information. Sonicbids, which was used to bookmore than 71,000 gigs last year, says the acquisition of San Francisco-based ArtistData will better enable its customers to market and promote shows through social networks and concert databases. … Continue reading “Sonicbids Acquires ArtistData”