Category: Boston

MicroCHIPS Receives $16,500,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bbd29c31-49f9-467e-93bb-3db93c95c824&Preview=1 Date 1/7/2010 Company Name MicroCHIPS Mailing Address 6B Preston Court Bedford, MA 01730 Company Description Microreservoirs are the core of our technology. Reservoirs can be incorportated into standalone devices that look like microchips, or they can be incorporated into an existing product to make it better. In all cases, reservoirs are … Continue reading “MicroCHIPS Receives $16,500,000 New Financing Round”

Salient Surgical Receives $15,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d786f9e2-8aa9-4060-a2e8-5f238b9998f6&Preview=1 Date 1/7/2010 Company Name Salient Surgical Mailing Address 180 International Drive Portsmouth, NH 03801 Company Description TissueLink Medical provides devices that reduce surgical blood loss. Utilizing TissueLink’s saline-enhanced radio-frequency technology allows surgeons to control bleeding and improve patient outcomes. Website http://www.salientsurgical.com/index.htm Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “Salient Surgical Receives $15,000,000 New Funding”

GI Dynamics Secures $15,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cbf31a13-4cd8-4b08-8376-b7fc881859d4&Preview=1 Date 1/7/2010 Company Name GI Dynamics Mailing Address One Maguire Road Lexington, MA 02421 Company Description GI Dynamics has developed novel devices that are delivered into the gastrointestinal tract using minimally invasive techniques. Website http://www.gidynamics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not … Continue reading “GI Dynamics Secures $15,000,000 New Round”

Motorola Acquires SecureMedia for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e654c203-e9bc-493d-9eeb-cce0a8ec27af&Preview=1 Date 1/7/2010 Company Name SecureMedia Mailing Address One Apple Hill Natick, MA 01760 Company Description SecureMedia is a leading provider of open platform, media agnostic digital encryption and rights management solutions for the delivery of video-on-demand, broadcast TV and other digital content over broadband IP networks. Website http://www.securemedia.com Transaction Type M&A … Continue reading “Motorola Acquires SecureMedia for Undisclosed Sum”

Tysabri’s PML Count Climbs to 28, and Some Reflections From Biogen Idec’s Departing CEO

At least one more patient has been diagnosed with a rare, and potentially fatal brain infection after taking natalizumab (Tysabri), the hit drug for multiple sclerosis from Biogen Idec and Elan, according to Biogen CEO James Mullen. There are now 28 confirmed cases of patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) as of the last count … Continue reading “Tysabri’s PML Count Climbs to 28, and Some Reflections From Biogen Idec’s Departing CEO”

Immerz Offers KOR-fx for Pre-order

Immerz, the Cambridge, MA-based startup building a wearable “acousto-haptic” device called KOR-fx that translates movie and video game sound into chest-thumping vibrations, announced today that the device is available for pre-order on its website. Priced at $189.99, the KOR-fx accessory will ship in May, according to the company. Immerz founder and CEO Shahriar Afshar is … Continue reading “Immerz Offers KOR-fx for Pre-order”

Acton Pharmaceuticals Snares $15M for Inhaled Asthma Drug

Acton Pharmaceuticals, the Marlborough, MA-based developer of an inhalable drug for asthma, said today it has secured $15 million in a Series A financing round led by Sequoia Capital. The company doesn’t have to navigate most of the usual technology and regulatory risks that are inherent in biotech. Acton is getting started with a license … Continue reading “Acton Pharmaceuticals Snares $15M for Inhaled Asthma Drug”

Alnylam Gets Milestone From Roche

Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) said today it has received an undisclosed milestone payment from its partner, Roche, for starting studies that pave the way for clinical trials of a certain drug candidate. The Roche collaboration, formed in July 2007, provided $331 million in upfront cash and equity, and could be worth more than … Continue reading “Alnylam Gets Milestone From Roche”

CombinatoRx Names New CEO

Cambridge, MA-based CombinatoRx (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRXX]]) said today it has named Mark Corrigan as its new CEO, following the merger with NeuroMed Pharmaceuticals. Corrigan, 52, is the former executive vice president of R&D at Sepracor and a director of CombinatoRx. He will be paid an annual base salary of $450,000, may get a bonus worth half … Continue reading “CombinatoRx Names New CEO”

PeopleClick Merges with Authoria

Bedford Funding, a White Plains, NY-based private equity fund, has purchased PeopleClick, a Raleigh, NC-based maker of software for employee recruitment and human resources management, for $100 million, and, according to a press announcement released yesterday, and plans to merge it with Waltham, MA-based rival Authoria, which it purchased last year for $63 million. The … Continue reading “PeopleClick Merges with Authoria”

Mullen to Relinquish Biogen Idec Reins, Joule to Test Ethanol Tech, Dicerna to Team with Kyowa Hakko Kirin, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

I’ve got a couple weeks’ worth of New England life sciences news to catch you up on, so let’s dive in. —Shares of Watertown, MA-based pSivida (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PSDV]]) jumped more than 50 percent after the company reported its treatment for diabetic macular edema, an eye disorder, did well in a clinical trial. The treatment employs … Continue reading “Mullen to Relinquish Biogen Idec Reins, Joule to Test Ethanol Tech, Dicerna to Team with Kyowa Hakko Kirin, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

The Quest for MIT’s Next Billion Dollar Idea

[Editor’s Note: The other day, upon checking Xconomy’s e-mail, we discovered the following message, encoded using quantum encryption. We ran it through our nifty decryption matrix, and at first all we could decipher was the reply-to address—MIT’s Howard Anderson. But then we realized that we’d intercepted the description for a new course that Anderson is … Continue reading “The Quest for MIT’s Next Billion Dollar Idea”

Ensemble Discovery Nabs Second Partner, Pfizer, to Develop New Class of Therapies

Ensemble Discovery has found a second Big Pharma partner to support its R&D engine. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech is announcing today it has secured a partnership with Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, to develop a new class of drugs that combine some of the more desirable traits of conventional small molecule drugs and bigger … Continue reading “Ensemble Discovery Nabs Second Partner, Pfizer, to Develop New Class of Therapies”

A Comparison of E-Book Readers for the New Year

Before any big trip, I always make sure I have enough books to read. That used to mean weighing myself down with pounds and pounds of paper, but now I can carry a library in my pocket. The new question is not which books to take, but which e-book reader to choose. Seattle-based Amazon.com’s Kindle … Continue reading “A Comparison of E-Book Readers for the New Year”

Five Biotechnologies That Will Fade Away This Decade

[Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of posts from Xconomists and other technology leaders from around the country who are weighing in with the Top 5 innovations they’ve seen in their respective fields the past 10 years, or the Top 5 disruptive technologies that will impact the next decade.] We look at amazement … Continue reading “Five Biotechnologies That Will Fade Away This Decade”

Incoming Viximo CEO Sees a Burgeoning Economy of Virtual Goods

Online publishers who want to let their users exchange virtual gifts—think singing Santa e-cards at Christmas or animated hearts for Valentine’s Day—can turn to Viximo, a two-year-old startup in Cambridge, MA, for both the virtual goods themselves and the microtransactions system needed to distribute them. And now Viximo is turning to a new leader to … Continue reading “Incoming Viximo CEO Sees a Burgeoning Economy of Virtual Goods”

Acton Pharmaceuticals Lands $15,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=afb2a6d2-6bce-4c8e-884e-16b1531316c4&Preview=1 Date 1/6/2010 Company Name Acton Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 225 Cedar Hill Street Marlborough, MA 01752 Company Description Acton is primarily focused on development and commercialization of innovative pharmaceutical products that treat allergic, pulmonary, and other respiratory related diseases. Website http://www.actonpharmaceuticals.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,000,000 Transaction Round Series A … Continue reading “Acton Pharmaceuticals Lands $15,000,000 Series A Financing”

Azuki Systems Obtains $3,000,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=75ece527-4ad1-4c27-9b27-e6de80a3bf25&Preview=1 Date 1/6/2010 Company Name Azuki Systems Mailing Address 43 Nagog Park Acton, MA 01720 Company Description Leveraging the growing proliferation of digitized content, Web 2.0 enabled services and new wireless technologies, Azuki is leading the charge into a new era of mobile innovation and user experiences. We are changing the way … Continue reading “Azuki Systems Obtains $3,000,000 Series B Round”

NSTC Breakfast Meeting: New Privacy Law Deadline Looms

As of March 1, minding your own business may not be enough. That’s when the new Massachusetts Privacy Laws take effect, and the compliance requirements are not necessarily straightforward. The speakers at this North Shore Technology Council breakfast—MacDonnell Ulsch and John Colucci—are experts in risk management and legal compliance. They will focus on how to … Continue reading “NSTC Breakfast Meeting: New Privacy Law Deadline Looms”

TCN Breakfast Roundtable: Pitching a Business Plan

How do you target, locate, approach, and close with venture capitalists, angels and strategic investors? This interactive panel discussion with leading New England entrepreneurs may help find the answer. Speaker list and registration information on the TCN event listing.

$2M for NoblePeak Vision

NoblePeak Vision of Wakefield, MA, has collected $2 million out of an intended $6.8 million round of equity funding, according to a December 30 regulatory filing. Founded in 2002 by Bell Labs veterans and formerly known as Noble Device Technologies, the company makes shortwave infrared imaging sensors used in night-vision security cameras for surveillance at … Continue reading “$2M for NoblePeak Vision”

The 12 Days of Xconomists: Leading Innovators Give Their Top Advances of the Past Decade

Over the last few weeks, as the holiday season heated up and the decade wound down, we reached out to our distinguished network of Xconomists—who include many of the top technologists, scientists, and business innovators in our three cities—and asked them (and a few more tech and life sciences leaders) to describe the most important … Continue reading “The 12 Days of Xconomists: Leading Innovators Give Their Top Advances of the Past Decade”

Echo Nest Raises $1.3M

The Echo Nest, a Somerville, MA-based music search and recommendation startup, has raised $1.3 million in new equity financing, according to a regulatory filing today. The investors weren’t disclosed in the filing, but the company’s directors include Eliott Katzmann of Commonwealth Capital Ventures (which led a previous funding round in September 2008). Xconomy profiled The … Continue reading “Echo Nest Raises $1.3M”

Report: Apple Snaps Up Quattro Wireless, Joins the Mobile Advertising Business

After Google acquired mobile advertising network AdMob in November for $750 million, the chief marketing officer at Waltham, MA-based Quattro Wireless, an AdMob rival, told me Quattro wasn’t worried about having Google as a competitor. “We actually think [the Google-AdMob deal is] great for the industry, because it really shows the importance of the mobile … Continue reading “Report: Apple Snaps Up Quattro Wireless, Joins the Mobile Advertising Business”

Stephen Wolfram Talks Bing Partnership, Software Strategy, and the Future of Knowledge Computing

There is something oddly human about Stephen Wolfram using his iPhone to look up the mass of the “cascade hyperon,” a subatomic particle with who-knows-what properties. That’s what Wolfram, one of the world’s most distinguished experts in physics and computing, was doing on the day we spoke a few weeks ago. Maybe it stood out … Continue reading “Stephen Wolfram Talks Bing Partnership, Software Strategy, and the Future of Knowledge Computing”

Former Idera Pharma CEO at Helm of AesRx, New Startup With Sickle Cell Drug

Stephen Seiler has been hunting for cash to advance an experimental therapy for sickle cell disease into initial human studies. And the veteran biotech executive, the former CEO of Cambridge, MA-based Idera Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:IDRA]]), has founded a startup in Newton, MA called AesRx to carry out his goal. Seiler said he has provided an undisclosed … Continue reading “Former Idera Pharma CEO at Helm of AesRx, New Startup With Sickle Cell Drug”

EMC Makes Bold Move into ‘GRC’ Market With Archer Acquisition…But Is It the Last?

It turns out regulation and government mandates aren’t always bad for business. A generation of new software companies is emerging to serve businesses who need to comply with a skein of regulations put in place over the last decade to fight financial and accounting fraud, prevent database breaches, and generally make businesses more transparent and … Continue reading “EMC Makes Bold Move into ‘GRC’ Market With Archer Acquisition…But Is It the Last?”

2010 Venture Capital Oscar Predictions

Even though Oscar buzz is not yet in the air, it is pretty clear what film titles will rule in 2010. So sit back, grab your popcorn…the envelopes please. Precious: The statuette goes to this film about the Greenback, which continues to be really hard to come by. The venture industry weathered a swift-yet-painful contraction … Continue reading “2010 Venture Capital Oscar Predictions”

The Echo Nest Lands $1,300,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8ad186f8-731e-47a8-aeda-eecc849811d9&Preview=1 Date 1/5/2010 Company Name The Echo Nest Mailing Address 48 Grove Street Somerville, MA 02144 Company Description The Echo Nest’s Fanalytics™ platform applies an unprecedented understanding of the music web to help you better target and build your online fan base. Here are a few of the marketing tools powered by … Continue reading “The Echo Nest Lands $1,300,000 New Financing Round”

Former Qualcomm Exec Named CEO of Color Printing Technology Developer

The other shoe dropped today with regard to Len J. Lauer, who announced his resignation before Christmas as Qualcomm’s chief operating officer, which is ostensibly the No. 2 executive post at the San Diego wireless giant. Lauer was named as the president and chief executive officer of Memjet, a privately held company developing innovative color … Continue reading “Former Qualcomm Exec Named CEO of Color Printing Technology Developer”

Biogen Idec CEO Jim Mullen Stepping Down, After Tumultuous Year of Shareholder Activism

[Updated 6:05 pm Eastern 1/4/10] Biogen Idec, the world’s largest maker of multiple sclerosis drugs and an anchor of Boston’s biotech cluster, is looking for a new CEO. The Cambridge, MA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) said today that longtime CEO James Mullen is stepping down on June 8, and also will be relinquishing his seat on … Continue reading “Biogen Idec CEO Jim Mullen Stepping Down, After Tumultuous Year of Shareholder Activism”

Women’s Health: New Markets, Expanding Opportunities

Learn about the latest advances in detecting and treating conditions that impact women’s health. Clinical specialists and industry leader will speak on ways new device technologies are meeting ongoing medical challenges in a variety of women’s health issues. Speaker list and registration details are on the event web site.

The Boston Deals You Missed During the Holidays: Cash for Kala Pharma, Funds for ViewFinity, Silver for SCVNGR, & More

Feeling a bit out of the loop on the New England tech and life sciences news? Don’t fret. We’ve compiled the Boston-area deals you may have missed during the last couple of weeks of 2009. There were enough of them to indicate that tech lawyers and execs were quite busy over the break. —Waltham, MA-based … Continue reading “The Boston Deals You Missed During the Holidays: Cash for Kala Pharma, Funds for ViewFinity, Silver for SCVNGR, & More”

M&A Liquidity Up, IPO Market Still Anemic: Fourth-Quarter Data on Venture Exits Is a Mixed Bag

It’s too early to say whether it’s the beginning of the end of the liquidity drought, or just the end of the beginning. But after seven straight quarters of declining IPO and M&A earnings for venture-backed U.S. companies, there was a ray of hope in the fourth quarter of 2009. Venture-backed firms raised $7.5 billion … Continue reading “M&A Liquidity Up, IPO Market Still Anemic: Fourth-Quarter Data on Venture Exits Is a Mixed Bag”

$5M for Digital Lumens

Boston-based stealth-mode startup Digital Lumens has raised $5 million in new equity financing, according to a regulatory filing published December 31. The company, whose board members include Jon Karlen of Boston’s Flybridge Capital Partners and Lee Barbieri of Dover, MA-based Stata Venture Partners in Dover, MA, specializes in high-efficiency lighting technology. Digital Lumens previously raised … Continue reading “$5M for Digital Lumens”

Dicerna Snags Deal With Japan’s Kyowa Hakko Kirin to Develop RNAi Cancer Treatments

Dicerna Pharmaceuticals has found some deep pockets to support its approach to creating RNA interference drugs. The Watertown, MA-based company is announcing today that it has formed an alliance with Japan-based Kyowa Hakko Kirin. Under the deal, Kyowa Hakko Kirin will get access to Dicerna’s proprietary RNAi drug technology against one undisclosed target on cancer … Continue reading “Dicerna Snags Deal With Japan’s Kyowa Hakko Kirin to Develop RNAi Cancer Treatments”

Top Five Robotics “Hits” of the 2000s

Robotics, in the noughties (I have rank ordered them in importance): 1. Thousands of remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft in the U.S. military. 2. Thousands of supervisory controlled ground robots in the U.S. military. 3. Millions of autonomous home cleaning robots in people’s houses. 4. Autonomous vehicles in the two DARPA grand challenge demonstrations. 5. … Continue reading “Top Five Robotics “Hits” of the 2000s”

Bringing Order to the Address Book, Sensobi Targets Underserved Blackberry Mobile App Customers

You’ve been scrolling through your phone’s address book for minutes now just to find the coworker you call the most. Because his name falls at the end of the alphabet, he’s buried behind dozens of other entries, many of whom you probably haven’t called in years. Shouldn’t a smart phone be smarter about managing your … Continue reading “Bringing Order to the Address Book, Sensobi Targets Underserved Blackberry Mobile App Customers”

India’s Innovation Front Lines 2009 (Part 4): Billionaire Democracy

Delhi, December 29, 2009—The ruling Congress Party turned 125 years old today to muted fanfare. Founded in 1885, it became the main opposition to British rule, eventually coming to power in 1947 when India reclaimed its independence. The party remained in power for 30 years, until losing its position in 1977. Since then it has … Continue reading “India’s Innovation Front Lines 2009 (Part 4): Billionaire Democracy”

Digital Lumens Garners $5,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6abeebd5-990a-42a0-9e0d-24a396c0882c&Preview=1 Date 1/4/2010 Company Name Digital Lumens Mailing Address 129 Portland Street, 4th floor Boston, MA 02114 Company Description Founded by a group of engineers and executives with years of experience in solid-state lighting and distributed networking, Digital Lumens is creating lighting solutions that deliver 100% of the light at 10% of … Continue reading “Digital Lumens Garners $5,000,000 New Financing Round”

Apple Acquires Quattro Wireless for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=61ad0696-2f50-4887-bd53-d39dea9a7ba4&Preview=1 Date 1/4/2010 Company Name Quattro Wireless Mailing Address 100 Fifth Avenue Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Through its industry-leading mobile workbench, publishing and analytics platform, Quattro empowers Web publishers of all shapes and sizes to build, manage and extend a dynamic, advertising-supported mobile Web experience. Under the GetMobile umbrella, Quattro Wireless … Continue reading “Apple Acquires Quattro Wireless for Undisclosed Sum”

Top Five Biotech Innovations of the 2000s

My list is brief, but the innovations that stood out for me in the past decade were first-in-class drugs that can treat or prevent major unmet medical needs. 1. Genentech’s ranibizumab (Lucentis)—The first treatment of its kind for the “wet” form of macular degeneration. It has high efficacy rates and low side effects, has saved … Continue reading “Top Five Biotech Innovations of the 2000s”

Top Five Global Health Innovations of the 2000s

During the past decade, we have seen tremendous technological advances in the field of global health. These innovations promise to bring us closer to a world where health is within reach for everyone. However, realizing their full potential will require further investment to implement these breakthroughs within affordable product platforms. It will also require innovation … Continue reading “Top Five Global Health Innovations of the 2000s”

Top Five Medical Innovations of the 2000s (And One Big Concern)

1—The development of novel mechanisms and combination therapies in HIV, which have turned a universally fatal disease into a chronic one. 2—Targeted cancer therapies. Novartis’ imatinib (Gleevec) is the poster child for this. 3—Sequencing the human genome, and rapidly expanding the technology to allow the analysis of comparative genomes across species and disease areas (e.g., … Continue reading “Top Five Medical Innovations of the 2000s (And One Big Concern)”

India’s Innovation Front Lines 2009 (Part 3): A Continent, Not a Country

Mumbai, December 23, 2009—There are now 500 million cell phone subscribers in India. In the major metropolitan cities, penetration rates are close to U.S. levels. A golf caddy, who makes about Rs 300 ($6) per day, has a cell phone so golfers can reserve him for a round. The 500 million subscribers appears to be … Continue reading “India’s Innovation Front Lines 2009 (Part 3): A Continent, Not a Country”

Four Groundbreaking Innovations from the 2000s (And One More Life-Changing Event)

Let me start out the great moments/innovations/developments of the past decade with one that was very important to me individually. 1. As a strapping, 6-year-old boy, I had the privilege of seeing Ted Williams’s last game. I don’t know about you, but growing up in Boston in the 1960s there were two heroes: Ted Williams … Continue reading “Four Groundbreaking Innovations from the 2000s (And One More Life-Changing Event)”

Top Five Biomedical Innovations of the 2000s

1—Increasing use, validation and acceptance of surrogate endpoints for clinical trials. 2—Novartis’ imatinib (Gleevec). The first drug for specifically inhibiting an enzyme causing cancer rather than killing fast dividing cells…. 3—Human papillomavirus vaccines. This is both for innovative science, and innovative treatment of a vaccine for a virus tied to cancer. 4—Robotic surgery. (Intuitive Surgical) … Continue reading “Top Five Biomedical Innovations of the 2000s”