Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=deda6f4c-f3db-4602-8d47-a01f89a51ff0&Preview=1 Date 2/2/2010 Company Name ChosenSecurity Mailing Address 57 Wells Avenue Newton, MA 02459 Company Description Chosen Security, Inc. is a leading specialist for identity verification and security services, ensuring safe and secure online communication and transactions. Since 1997, the company, previously a subsidiary of GeoTrust, has offered certificates and security solutions … Continue reading “PGP Corporation Acquires ChosenSecurity for Undisclosed Sum”
Category: Boston
PRX Launches This American Life App
Ira Glass groupies, rejoice. The Public Radio Exchange (PRX), the Cambridge, MA-based clearinghouse for public radio programming, said today that it has created an iPhone app for This American Life, the popular weekly radio show from Chicago Public Radio. The $2.99 app, available starting today at Apple’s iTunes App Store, offers access to the complete … Continue reading “PRX Launches This American Life App”
BioBehavioral Nabs $10M
BioBehavioral Diagnostics, the Westford, MA-based maker of a tool for diagnosing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, said today it has raised $10 million in a Series B financing. Sevin Rosen Funds and Tullis Dickerson led the round, according to the company. BioBehavioral plans to use the cash to expand its sales and marketing efforts, and do more … Continue reading “BioBehavioral Nabs $10M”
In-Person Insights on Virtual Biotechs at Xconomy Dinner
Don’t underestimate those brainy types riveted to their laptops at coffee shops in Harvard Square, because they could be managing the development of a potential breakthrough drug. That’s what I was thinking last week during a dinner hosted by Xconomy at a Harvard Square venue, where we discussed the virtues and limitations of virtual business … Continue reading “In-Person Insights on Virtual Biotechs at Xconomy Dinner”
Boston Scientific to Pay Johnson & Johnson $1.7 Billion in Stent Settlements
Pushing to get past a raft of pending patent infringement lawsuits, Boston Scientific (NYSE: [[ticker:BSX]]) said today that it will pay Johnson & Johnson $1.725 billion to settle three suits related to cardiac stent technology. The Natick, MA-based medical devices giant said it will pay Johnson & Johnson $1 billion today, and the remaining $725 … Continue reading “Boston Scientific to Pay Johnson & Johnson $1.7 Billion in Stent Settlements”
Prism’s Will Kohler to Join Summerhill Venture Partners, Doubling Firm’s Boston Headcount
Prism VentureWorks principal Will Kohler will join Summerhill Venture Partners as a general partner later this month, doubling the Toronto-headquartered firm’s Boston-area headcount as part of an effort to expand its investments in the Northeast, according to Summerhill managing partner Gary Rubinoff. “We’re doing a lot of deals in the Northeast it makes sense to … Continue reading “Prism’s Will Kohler to Join Summerhill Venture Partners, Doubling Firm’s Boston Headcount”
Ironwood Gears Up for Biotech’s Biggest IPO in Years, Sending Ripple Effect Through Industry
Everybody with a financial stake in biotechnology will be watching Ironwood Pharmaceuticals this week, as it attempts to pull off the biggest initial public offering the industry has seen in years. The Cambridge, MA-based company, which filed its original IPO prospectus on Nov. 20, is now primed to go ahead and start selling its first … Continue reading “Ironwood Gears Up for Biotech’s Biggest IPO in Years, Sending Ripple Effect Through Industry”
At Quick Hit, Players Can Now Draft NFL Legends for Virtual Currency
Just in time for fans facing the prospect of pigskin withdrawal after this weekend’s Saints vs. Colts Superbowl matchup, Foxborough, MA-based Quick Hit has added an intriguing, and potentially lucrative, new feature to its online football strategy game. For the first time, it’s giving players the chance to add past NFL greats of their choice … Continue reading “At Quick Hit, Players Can Now Draft NFL Legends for Virtual Currency”
BioBehavioral Diagnostics Lands $10,000,000 Series B Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5b93d7b3-26f2-4b52-8919-7b550287daac&Preview=1 Date 2/1/2010 Company Name BioBehavioral Diagnostics Mailing Address 239 Littleton Road Westford, MA 01886 Company Description BioBehavioral Diagnostics Company (BioBDx) is a privately held company whose mission is to develop, manufacture, and market proprietary diagnostic systems for the quantitative assessment of behavioral disorders, including the measurement of medication response and the … Continue reading “BioBehavioral Diagnostics Lands $10,000,000 Series B Funding”
NSTC Breakfast: “The Eye of the Storm?” – 2010 Could Bring Additional Economic Turbulence
There’s talk of the economy being on the rebound, but we’re not in the clear yet, maintains economist Dr. Robert Gough, who will present at this North Shore Technology Council breakfast. Gough, president and CEO of global growth strategies firm G-enovation, will explain the economic problems that still plague us and how businesses can react … Continue reading “NSTC Breakfast: “The Eye of the Storm?” – 2010 Could Bring Additional Economic Turbulence”
Student “Tech Treks” Lend Reality to B-School Case Studies
Earlier this month, we wrapped up two consecutive weeks of treks—business school jargon for trips that combine company visits and cohort-building activities—organized by MBA students at MIT’s Sloan School of Management in the bicoastal innovation hubs of Greater Boston and Silicon Valley. Ninety MIT Sloan MBAs enjoyed sun and mild weather while visiting companies in … Continue reading “Student “Tech Treks” Lend Reality to B-School Case Studies”
BG Medicine Taking Second Shot at Public Market, Proposes $86.3M IPO
BG Medicine has matured since it pulled its previous plans for an initial public offering in January 2008. The Waltham, MA-based developer of molecular diagnostics revealed a new proposal this morning to raise $86.3 million in an initial public offering to bring its first test, for heart failure, to patients in the U.S. and Europe. … Continue reading “BG Medicine Taking Second Shot at Public Market, Proposes $86.3M IPO”
Xconomy Innovators’ Lunch Is at Noon Today—Free Pizza at Our Cambridge Office for Those Who Brave the Cold
A quick reminder for all you startup entrepreneurs, tech & life sciences veterans, and Xconomy readers: If you aren’t hunkered down to avoid the cold, and you’re up for a free slice or two (or three as one reader warned us), come on over to our Cambridge HQ today at noon for an impromptu pizza … Continue reading “Xconomy Innovators’ Lunch Is at Noon Today—Free Pizza at Our Cambridge Office for Those Who Brave the Cold”
Glasshouse Files for $75M IPO
Framingham, MA-based IT consulting company Glasshouse Technologies, which registered for a $100 million initial public offering in October 2007 and then nixed the plan in March 2009, citing unfavorable market conditions, is plunging back into the fray. In forms filed yesterday with the SEC, Glasshouse said it hopes to raise up to $75 million in … Continue reading “Glasshouse Files for $75M IPO”
What’s So Magical About an Oversized iPhone? Plenty—And There’s More to Come
The Apple iPad is one of the most eagerly anticipated computing devices in history. With all the heat and hype that preceded Wednesday’s public debut of the device, it was inevitable that the backlash from skeptical bloggers and Twitterers would be equally ferocious. Still, even after you filter out all the bozos who keep repeating … Continue reading “What’s So Magical About an Oversized iPhone? Plenty—And There’s More to Come”
Alnara Adds $35M, Harvest Power Teams Up with Waste Management, & More Boston-Area Deals News
We spent some time this week looking at the data on last year’s venture deals, big and small, while New England’s tech and life sciences companies announced some of the first deals of 2010. —All but one of the 10 biggest Boston-area private equity deals in 2009 were closed by life sciences firms, a survey … Continue reading “Alnara Adds $35M, Harvest Power Teams Up with Waste Management, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Flexion Snags Pfizer Bucks, Three Pharma Deals, For New Drug Model
Flexion Therapeutics is a little company built on the idea it can steer through early clinical trials in a faster and cheaper way than a lumbering Big Pharma giant. Now the Woburn, MA-based startup, founded by a pair of Eli Lilly veterans, has secured backing from four major drugmakers to put the idea to the … Continue reading “Flexion Snags Pfizer Bucks, Three Pharma Deals, For New Drug Model”
Flexion Therapeutics Obtains $9,000,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=81af35f6-59bd-406b-81ed-ba19fb3fb096&Preview=1 Date 1/29/2010 Company Name Flexion Therapeutics Mailing Address 300 TradeCenter Woburn, MA 01801 Company Description Flexion Therapeutics advances drug candidates through clinical proof of concept and beyond, in partnership with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. By providing expertise and sharing risk, Flexion effectively expands the portfolios of its partners. Website http://www.flexiontherapeutics.com Transaction … Continue reading “Flexion Therapeutics Obtains $9,000,000 Series A Funding Round”
Polatis Raises $1.2M
Andover, MA-based Polatis, a producer of optical switch technology for data centers and network hosting locations, has raised $1.2 million of a $2.5 million equity round, according to a filing with the SEC. The filing does not specifically name investors, but partners at Cambridge, MA-based Flagship Ventures and Chicago-based JK&B Capital are among those listed … Continue reading “Polatis Raises $1.2M”
Introducing Erin Kutz, Belatedly
You know a new hire is a good fit when by the end of her first day you’ve already forgotten that she’s new. And that’s just what happened when our new assistant editor, Erin Kutz, joined the Boston team a couple weeks ago. In fact, we so quickly forgot that she’s new that we forgot … Continue reading “Introducing Erin Kutz, Belatedly”
Boston Startups Stake Out iPad Territory: Big Plans at Apperian, Jumptap, Skyhook
For Boston-area startups that have already spent years staking out their corners of the mobile marketplace, getting on board with the Apple iPad—and the new set of business opportunities it creates—is a no-brainer. At least two local companies have already announced they’re providing technologies or services targeted at the tablet-sized device, and the area’s application … Continue reading “Boston Startups Stake Out iPad Territory: Big Plans at Apperian, Jumptap, Skyhook”
Positioning Business to Succeed in the Low Carbon Economy – A Climate Change Summit
The environment seems to be taking center stage in February’s events. This all-day climate change summit features a speaker from the EPA and policy makers from Massachusetts, dishing out perspectives on how businesses can position themselves to benefit from state and national energy and environmental initiatives. Check out the summit’s website for registration details and … Continue reading “Positioning Business to Succeed in the Low Carbon Economy – A Climate Change Summit”
It’s Snowing Today, So Let’s Have the Next Xconomy Innovators’ Lunch at Noon Tomorrow (Friday): the Pizza is on Us
The day before Thanksgiving, folks here hit on the idea of bringing those hard-working entrepreneurs who were still in town over to our new headquarters for an almost-spur-of-the-moment Innovators’ Lunch. We had so much fun—except when I spilled the Greek salad all over the carpet—that we decided on the spot to do it quasi regularly. … Continue reading “It’s Snowing Today, So Let’s Have the Next Xconomy Innovators’ Lunch at Noon Tomorrow (Friday): the Pizza is on Us”
Entrepreneurs’ Role in Healthcare IT: A Yale Entrepreneurial Society Networking and Panel Event
The Yale Entrepreneurial Society will gather for a panel and night of networking to explore what role entrepreneurs have to play in modernizing the healthcare system. Goodwin Procter will be hosting this event, which features speakers who have founded life sciences startups, as well as investors in the healthcare IT space. You can e-mail Goodwin … Continue reading “Entrepreneurs’ Role in Healthcare IT: A Yale Entrepreneurial Society Networking and Panel Event”
The Sustainability Revolution: What Does it Mean Today to Investors and Entrepreneurs and Everyone?
Learn how the buzz surrounding sustainability translates for investors, entrepreneurs, and policy makers, at this presentation that comes as part of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge’s series on innovation. Clean tech investor Ray Lane and a panel of climate change experts will discuss when and how clean energy will translate into big opportunities. Check … Continue reading “The Sustainability Revolution: What Does it Mean Today to Investors and Entrepreneurs and Everyone?”
MIT Energy Initiative: Road from Copenhagen
This event will feature a panel of MIT professors, in a town-hall meeting format, discussing the implications from December’s Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change, including U.S. energy policy initiatives and the role of international institutions in climate action. For more information, check out the MIT Energy Initiative’s website.
Carl Icahn Nominates Three More Candidates for Biogen Board Seats
The season of proxy battles at Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) is upon us. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn and his affiliates have sent word to Cambridge, MA-based Biogen that they plan to nominate three additional people for election to the board of directors at the company’s annual meeting this year, Biogen says. Two of Icahn’s nominees are … Continue reading “Carl Icahn Nominates Three More Candidates for Biogen Board Seats”
Vertex CEO on Building a Blockbuster, Genzyme Investor on Fixing Up the Firm, Cubist CEO on Pipeline and Patent Challenges, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
If in-depth interviews with some of the heaviest hitters in the New England life sciences industry are your cup of tea, this was the week for you. —Ryan had a fascinating chat with Jorge Conde, co-founder and CEO of Cambridge, MA-based Knome, about how the startup is evolving in the rapidly evolving field of personal … Continue reading “Vertex CEO on Building a Blockbuster, Genzyme Investor on Fixing Up the Firm, Cubist CEO on Pipeline and Patent Challenges, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Announcing Boston Battle of the Tech Bands Door Prizes: Reasons (Other than Regional Pride) to Attend Xconomy’s Bicoastal Showdown
For the past two years, Xconomy has invited bands from Boston area companies to submit their music files to a select panel of judges to compete for the right to take the stage at our Battle of the Tech Bands, but this year we’ve added a twist. Rather than go through the selection process, we’ve … Continue reading “Announcing Boston Battle of the Tech Bands Door Prizes: Reasons (Other than Regional Pride) to Attend Xconomy’s Bicoastal Showdown”
Alnara Bags $35M B Round, Plans to Seek FDA Approval for Cystic Fibrosis Drug
[Corrected 1/28/10, 3:15 pm. See below] Alnara Pharmaceuticals has received a big financial boost at a critical time. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm says it has nabbed $35 million in a Series B funding round as it puts the finishing touches on the paperwork it needs to complete before asking the FDA for permission to … Continue reading “Alnara Bags $35M B Round, Plans to Seek FDA Approval for Cystic Fibrosis Drug”
Alnara Pharmaceuticals Lands $35,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dc9d54ff-2b17-49d3-a3f3-44fc8896236b&Preview=1 Date 1/28/2010 Company Name Alnara Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 840 Memorial Drive Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Alnara Pharmaceuticals Inc is a pharmaceutical company developing innovative non-systemic protein therapeutics for the treatment of metabolic and inflammatory diseases. Website http://www.alnara.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $35,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Alnara Pharmaceuticals Lands $35,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
Polatis Obtains $1,200,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3c6f97d9-2356-44a4-961a-b850e462315b&Preview=1 Date 1/28/2010 Company Name Polatis Mailing Address One Tech Drive Andover, MA 01810 Company Description Polatis has set the benchmark in ultra-low loss optical switching. Its patented direct optical beam steering technology is powering the creation of highly reliable and compact photonic switching solutions. Website http://www.polatis.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Polatis Obtains $1,200,000 New Financing”
The Apple iPad’s Impact on Mobile, Gaming, and E-Books: Local Techies and Startups React
[Updated 1/28/10, see below] The wait is over, but the endless mulling of the details and implications is just beginning. As Apple unveiled its long-rumored tablet device, the iPad, at a press event today in San Francisco, mobile industry insiders in Seattle, Boston, and elsewhere were watching closely. Which is exactly what you would expect, … Continue reading “The Apple iPad’s Impact on Mobile, Gaming, and E-Books: Local Techies and Startups React”
Landslide Gets $8M and New CEO
Landslide Technologies, a customer relationship management software company with offices in Burlington, MA, and Pittsburgh, PA, announced today that it has raised $8 million in growth capital and hired a new president and CEO, Rick Faulk, the former CEO of web-based social media and training software company Mzinga. Faulk left Burlington-based Mzinga last March, just … Continue reading “Landslide Gets $8M and New CEO”
Biogen Idec Advances First Regenerative MS Medicine into Human Study
One of the more intriguing experimental drugs for multiple sclerosis has just entered its first clinical trial. Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) has now started what it believes to be the first-ever clinical trial of a drug with the potential to regenerate the fatty protective coating around nerves that gets damaged in people with … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Advances First Regenerative MS Medicine into Human Study”
Babson and Bain Capital Ventures Present: Launching a New Company and Getting Early Customer Validation
Learn how to gauge customer reception of your product before spending loads of time and money developing it, at this event sponsored by Babson College and Bain Capital Ventures. A panelist from Bain as well as speakers from a few local startups will share their insights on getting early customer feedback. You can RSVP at … Continue reading “Babson and Bain Capital Ventures Present: Launching a New Company and Getting Early Customer Validation”
Clarus Ventures Backs Neomend
Clarus Ventures, a Cambridge, MA-based venture fund, has invested $17 million in the surgical hydrogel developer Neomend, as part of the Irvine, CA-based company’s $30 million Series D funding round. Neomend, which develops its hydrogels to seal surgical wounds, also attracted investments in the round from Novo Ventures, Prospect Venture Partners, Sanderling Ventures, and Vivo … Continue reading “Clarus Ventures Backs Neomend”
Boston Tech Scene Needs Fewer Doubles and Triples, More Home Runs
If the NSA monitored communications in Massachusetts, their analysts might raise an alert. With the baseball season over, there has been an anomalous amount of chatter using baseball terms as code for something. They would trace the threat to Bill Warner, Avid founder and long time innovation activist. Bill has recently published a manifesto on … Continue reading “Boston Tech Scene Needs Fewer Doubles and Triples, More Home Runs”
Carbonite Eyes IPO, Aims to Be the Symantec of Online Backup
The first thing you should know about Carbonite, the Boston-based online backup company, is that it is indeed named after the ice-like substance in which Darth Vader encased Han Solo at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. David Friend, Carbonite’s co-founder and CEO, even has a replica of the frozen Solo in his office. … Continue reading “Carbonite Eyes IPO, Aims to Be the Symantec of Online Backup”
Vertex’s Matt Emmens on His Journey From Security Guard to CEO
The man hired to turn Cambridge, MA-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals into biotechnology’s next big success story might never have gotten into the industry if he hadn’t been a security guard. It was the early 1970s, and Matt Emmens was a middle-class New Jersey kid with a vague idea of studying business at nearby Fairleigh Dickinson University. … Continue reading “Vertex’s Matt Emmens on His Journey From Security Guard to CEO”
Virtify Plans Global Expansion, Forms Key Partnership with IMS Health
Virtify is making great strides lately, based on the strength its Web-based software that helps life sciences companies manage the data they need to comply with health regulators around the world, like the FDA. Satish Tadikonda, the company’s co-founder and CEO, told Xconomy this week about his plans to accelerate the growth of the company … Continue reading “Virtify Plans Global Expansion, Forms Key Partnership with IMS Health”
Harvest Power Strikes Deal with Waste Management to Turn Trash Into Fertilizer and Fuel
Homes and businesses in North America generate about 55 million tons of organic waste every year, and that’s without even counting sewage. Roughly half of this solid waste comes from grass clippings and other biomass from the typical yard, and the other half is food scraps. Most of the yard waste gets recycled, but most … Continue reading “Harvest Power Strikes Deal with Waste Management to Turn Trash Into Fertilizer and Fuel”
TiE-Boston Annual VC Outlook Dinner
This annual event, sponsored by non-profit entrepreneurship organization TiE-Boston, always features a panel of venture capitalists highlighting the investment outlook for the year, but the 2010 dinner will cast that view in light of the recession of the past 18 months. They’ll answer questions on whether or not the tough times are over, if and … Continue reading “TiE-Boston Annual VC Outlook Dinner”
Under the Radar Deals: 20-Something New England December Financings Worth $1M or Less
We recently summarized the major December equity investments in Massachusetts’ tech and life sciences startups, but the New England region also had some more pint-sized deals worth noting. They’re between $100,000 and $1 million—what we like to call the under-the radar-deals tracked by our partner, New York-based ChubbyBrain, an information services company developing tools for … Continue reading “Under the Radar Deals: 20-Something New England December Financings Worth $1M or Less”
Millennium, In a New Role, Flexes Global Muscle to Cut Deal With Seattle Genetics
Millennium is playing the role of global development and marketing partner to Seattle Genetics, something that would have been tricky for Cambridge, MA-based Millennium to nail before it became the cancer R&D arm of Japanese drug giant Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in May 2008. Last month, Millennium closed a major collaboration deal with Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ:[[ticker:SGEN]]), … Continue reading “Millennium, In a New Role, Flexes Global Muscle to Cut Deal With Seattle Genetics”
Addressing the Innovation “Valley of Death:” It’s the Products, Stupid!
Several articles published in the press this past year have emphasized the importance of technology innovation in creating high-paying jobs and fueling our nation’s economy. Janet Rae-Dupree’s aptly titled New York Times piece, “Innovation Should Mean More Jobs, Not Less,” makes the case that investing in innovative technologies is critical to the future of the … Continue reading “Addressing the Innovation “Valley of Death:” It’s the Products, Stupid!”
Brightcove Wants to Help Its Customers Adapt to Comcast’s Proposed Controls on Internet Video
Before the week gets away from me, I wanted to make brief note of an interesting piece of news yesterday out of Brightcove, the Cambridge-based provider of online distribution platforms for video publishers. Hundreds of companies use the Brightcove 4 platform to organize their video content online and serve it up on demand to Internet … Continue reading “Brightcove Wants to Help Its Customers Adapt to Comcast’s Proposed Controls on Internet Video”
VideoIQ Raises $6M
Bedford, MA-based VideoIQ, which creates surveillance cameras designed to streamline the capture of suspicious activity, closed a $6 million equity round, according to an SEC filing. Atlas Venture and Matrix Partners, both of Waltham, MA, are listed on the filing as investors, alongside Lehman Brothers Venture Partners. VideoIQ, profiled by Xconomy in 2008, aims to … Continue reading “VideoIQ Raises $6M”
2009’s Top 10 Private Equity Deals in Massachusetts: The List
Life sciences companies nabbed nine of the 10 largest private equity deals in the Boston area in 2009, a year when investors were called on to fund biotechs and medical devices companies in late stages of product development, according to a recent survey by Dow Jones VentureSource. The survey data indicate that private equity investors … Continue reading “2009’s Top 10 Private Equity Deals in Massachusetts: The List”
The Apple Paradox: How a Company That’s So Closed Can Foster So Much Open Innovation
[Corrected and clarified, 1:30 p.m. 1/25/10, see page 2] Come Wednesday, we’ll learn a lot more about Apple’s presumed slate device. What we know right now, first hand, is a big fat nothing. Apple keeps a famously tight lid on its employees, suppliers, and partners, the only exception being the occasional strategic leak designed to … Continue reading “The Apple Paradox: How a Company That’s So Closed Can Foster So Much Open Innovation”