The emerging “smart bomb” drug for breast cancer, developed by Roche’s U.S.-based Genentech unit with technology from Waltham, MA-based ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IMGN]]), has passed an important clinical trial that could clear the way for this new kind of treatment to reach the U.S. market. About one out of every three people (32.7 percent) who enrolled … Continue reading “Breast Cancer “Smart Bomb” Drug From Roche, ImmunoGen Passes Important Trial”
Category: Boston
Tech Tuesday
It’s the one, the only, Tech Tuesday (from the Mass Technology Leadership Council)–an event that needs no introduction. But you can register here. Should be a good way to get back into the swing of the work week in the New Year.
GP for Child’s Play
What could be better than playing games for a good cause? This event is for “Boston-area gamers, game-makers and anyone who wants to donate to a good cause.” The idea: eat, drink, play video games like Super Smash Brothers and Rock Band and old-fashioned board games, buy raffle tickets, and in the process raise money … Continue reading “GP for Child’s Play”
Providence Geek Dinner
It’s billed as the “last Providence Geek Dinner of the decade (yes, _ the decade_!).” Includes a presentation by Providence-based online advertising startup DiJiPOP, but promises that won’t be the half of it. Register here.
Thank You to Our Cloud3 Speakers, Seeders, Sponsors, and Underwriters–And an Update on Speaker Slides
Here at Xconomy, the stories we cover give us great ideas for networking events, and at our events we meet great people who give us ideas for more articles. Our Cloud3 Forum on Thursday was a perfect example. Every company on yesterday’s agenda is working on technologies we’ve chronicled—and will keep chronicling—in these pages, including … Continue reading “Thank You to Our Cloud3 Speakers, Seeders, Sponsors, and Underwriters–And an Update on Speaker Slides”
Bay State Venture Funding Perked Up in November: There Were Even Some Energy Deals
Entrepreneurs and anyone else interested in the Bay State’s high-tech economy had more than Thanksgiving to be thankful for last month. After a big dip in October, venture funding for Massachusetts startups seemed to get cooking again in November, as $186 million was infused into 22 deals. The result was a solid 10 percent rise … Continue reading “Bay State Venture Funding Perked Up in November: There Were Even Some Energy Deals”
5AM Gathers $200M Fund, Advanced Cell Technology Advances with $2.8 Million, Gloucester Picked up for $640M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Lots of deals to report this week from New England tech and life sciences companies. —Gloucester Pharmaceuticals of Cambridge, MA, agreed to an acquisition by Summit, NJ-based Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]). Gloucester will get $340 million in cash, plus $300 million in future milestone payments out of the deal, which is expected to close by the … Continue reading “5AM Gathers $200M Fund, Advanced Cell Technology Advances with $2.8 Million, Gloucester Picked up for $640M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Boston Scientific Adds $2B in Debt
Boston Scientific, the giant medical device company, said today it has raised $2 billion in a debt financing. The Natick, MA-based company (NYSE: [[ticker:BSX]]) secured interest rates ranging between 4.5 percent and 7.38 percent on notes that have to be paid back between 2015 and 2040.
Biogen Idec Chairman Steps Down as Board Re-Shuffles in Wake of Icahn Arrival
Bruce Ross, one of the lightning rods for criticism from billionaire investor Carl Icahn during last spring’s proxy battle at Biogen Idec, has agreed to relinquish the company chairmanship and leave the board at next year’s annual meeting in what appears to be an ongoing boardroom shakeup. He will be joined on his way out … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Chairman Steps Down as Board Re-Shuffles in Wake of Icahn Arrival”
Microsoft to Buy Sentillion, Looks to Strengthen Efforts in Electronic Medical Records
Let the healthcare-IT acquisitions begin. Microsoft announced today it plans to buy Sentillion, a healthcare software company based in Andover, MA. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close early next year. Microsoft says it plans to incorporate Sentillion’s technology into the Microsoft Amalga Unified Intelligence System that’s supposed … Continue reading “Microsoft to Buy Sentillion, Looks to Strengthen Efforts in Electronic Medical Records”
Fina Tech Finds $4.5M A Round
[Updated and corrected: 11:06 Eastern, 12/17/09] Fina Technologies, a Cambridge, MA-based startup with computer-modeling software for the financial services industry, said today it has raised $4.5 million in a Series A round of venture capital. Reed Elsevier Ventures led the round, which included an investment from Excel Venture Management. Fina is a spinout of Cambridge-based … Continue reading “Fina Tech Finds $4.5M A Round”
Facet Rejects Biogen’s Latest Offer
The board of Redwood City, CA-based Facet Biotech (NASDAQ:[[ticker:FACT]]) unanimously recommended that shareholders reject the latest tender offer from Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]), saying that the $17.50 per-share offer, which would value Facet at about $438.7 million, was inadequate. Biogen called the bid, made a week ago, its “best-and-final offer.” Facet nonetheless says it … Continue reading “Facet Rejects Biogen’s Latest Offer”
Polaris to Open Dogpatch Labs in New York
Attention East Coast entrepreneurs—another incubator is on its way. Polaris Venture Partners is announcing today that it is opening a Dogpatch Labs branch—this time in New York City. This will be the third Dogpatch incubator, and the second on the East Coast. The Waltham, MA-based venture firm opened its first Dogpatch on San Francisco’s Pier … Continue reading “Polaris to Open Dogpatch Labs in New York”
Introducing the X Lists: The Region’s Best Resource for Innovators and Entrepreneurs
Longtime readers of Xconomy may have noticed, to our embarrassment, that our Boston Resources page has been “coming soon” for months. Many months. But good things come to those who wait, as they say, and now we’re ready to introduce a resources section that we’re really proud of, the X Lists. We believe that the … Continue reading “Introducing the X Lists: The Region’s Best Resource for Innovators and Entrepreneurs”
MC10 Closes $5.7M Financing
MC10, a Waltham, MA-based startup developing stretchable silicon technology developed at the University of Illinois, has raised $5.7 million in a new round of financing, $1.7 million of which is equity from converted bridge loans, according to an SEC filing. Carmichael Roberts, the firm’s chairman and a general partner at North Bridge Venture Partners, declined … Continue reading “MC10 Closes $5.7M Financing”
Acceleron Pharma Invests in Bricks & Mortar When Virtual is In Vogue
Acceleron Pharma had to be kidding, I figured, when it scheduled me to visit their labs and offices a few weeks ago in Cambridge, MA. They insisted that I take a walking tour of their biotech drug factory. Why is that unusual? Quite a few biotech startups are pinching pennies, and operating in a “virtual” … Continue reading “Acceleron Pharma Invests in Bricks & Mortar When Virtual is In Vogue”
LifeImage Raising $2M-Plus in Oversubscribed Round, CEO Says
LifeImage has advanced quickly since forming late last year. There are at least several hospitals or hospital systems using the startup’s software, which enables physicians to share digital radiology images within their facilities and with doctors at outside clinics via the Internet. And the Newton, MA-based firm expects to secure more than $2.1 million in … Continue reading “LifeImage Raising $2M-Plus in Oversubscribed Round, CEO Says”
Windows on the Cloud: Windows Azure Basics from Microsoft’s Yousef Khalidi
Xconomy’s Cloud3 Forum gets underway this morning at Microsoft’s New England R&D Center in Cambridge, MA, so I thought it would be a great time to write up my recent Q&A with Yousef Khalidi, a distinguished engineer in Microsoft’s Windows Azure team in Redmond, WA. Azure is Microsoft’s public cloud platform. Announced as a free … Continue reading “Windows on the Cloud: Windows Azure Basics from Microsoft’s Yousef Khalidi”
Fina Technologies Obtains $4,500,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f9ef350c-4ac6-4463-8500-af9dda622dd2&Preview=1 Date 12/10/2009 Company Name Fina Technologies Mailing Address Undisclosed Cambridge, MA 02138 Company Description Fina Technologies, Inc. is a spinoff of Gene Network Sciences (GNS) focused on applying the REFSTM platform and other machine-learning tools to large-data problems in the world of finance. Fina Technologies applies massively parallel supercomputing technology combined … Continue reading “Fina Technologies Obtains $4,500,000 Series A Round”
MC10 Obtains $5,700,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fb1d8552-7a62-4550-8924-e78e00094b0c&Preview=1 Date 12/10/2009 Company Name MC10 Mailing Address 950 Winter St Waltham, MA 02451-1454 Company Description MC10 startup developing stretchable silicon technology developed at the University of Illinois. Website http://www.mc10inc.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,700,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed
Microsoft Acquires Sentillion for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1ebe046e-efe3-436f-920b-a671b3e2370d&Preview=1 Date 12/10/2009 Company Name Sentillion Mailing Address 40 Shattuck Rd Andover, MA 01810 Company Description Built exclusively for the healthcare environment Sentillion’s solutions are balanced and optimized to meet the needs of caregivers and hospital IT organizations. Whether used separately or collectively, Sentillion’s solutions enable the right people to access the … Continue reading “Microsoft Acquires Sentillion for Undisclosed Sum”
Innovation Breakfast: What Do the Numbers Say About Innovation?
Bobbie Carlton and Dan Englander, the organizers of Mass Innovation Nights in Waltham, MA, have launched a new event series for early risers: Innovation Breakfasts. At the December 18 iteration, serial technology and media entrepreneur and executive Branko Gerovac will lead a data-rich discussion of the causes of the regional differences in innovation activity across … Continue reading “Innovation Breakfast: What Do the Numbers Say About Innovation?”
Digital Predictions for 2010
MITX’s final event of 2009 looks ahead to 2010 and the predictions for coming developments in social networking, communications (anyone catching the Google Wave?), social CRM, mobile marketing, online video, and all the rest. Speakers will include John Moore, Executive Vice President and Director of Media Services at interactive agency Mullen, and brand & content … Continue reading “Digital Predictions for 2010”
Breast Cancer “Smart Bomb” From Roche, ImmunoGen Shows Tumor Shrinkage in Big Test
The “smart bomb” drug for breast cancer from Roche and Waltham, MA-based ImmunoGen looks to have passed an important test. Full data aren’t being released yet, but ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IMGN]]) today disclosed an interesting tidbit in a regulatory filing on its new version of trastuzumab (marketed as Herceptin) that combines an antibody with a toxin … Continue reading “Breast Cancer “Smart Bomb” From Roche, ImmunoGen Shows Tumor Shrinkage in Big Test”
Protalix Seeks Gaucher Drug Approval
Protalix Biotherapeutics, the Israel-based developer of a treatment for Gaucher’s disease that aims to compete with Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme, said today it has filed an application for FDA approval of its drug candidate. Protalix is seeking clearance to sell taliglucerase alfa. The company, which earlier this month formed a partnership with Pfizer to co-market the … Continue reading “Protalix Seeks Gaucher Drug Approval”
EnerNOC Buys California Competitor
EnerNOC, a Boston-based provider of software and services that help large organizations to reduce their electricity usage, reports today that it has acquired California-based Cogent Energy. EnerNOC (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ENOC]]) says that Cogent’s technology is well suited for the needs of smaller facilities than EnerNOC typically serves, expanding the market of potential customers for the buyer. Financial … Continue reading “EnerNOC Buys California Competitor”
Una Ryan to Head Diagnostics for All
Biotech veteran Una Ryan has joined the nonprofit firm Diagnostics for All as CEO, The Boston Globe reports. Ryan, who is leaving her post as chief executive at Boston University spin-out Waltham Technologies, is also the former CEO of Needham, MA-based Avant Immunotherapeutics (now Celldex Therapeutics). She tells the Globe that one of her plans … Continue reading “Una Ryan to Head Diagnostics for All”
$3.2M Pours on Parasol Therapeutics
Parasol Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA-based developer of treatments and diagnostics for influenza and other viruses, has raised $3.2 million in debt and equity financing, according to an SEC filing. Parasol, which Xconomy reported has previously raised $3.5 million in seed financing, is developing new therapies for flu based on discoveries in the MIT lab of … Continue reading “$3.2M Pours on Parasol Therapeutics”
Change Comes to the Arctic: A Photographic Journey
The Copenhagen climate conference is in full swing, and if you wonder why it matters, we’ve got evidence of a changing world to share with you. On the following pages is a series of arresting photographs and captions contributed by Alun Anderson, an Xconomy board member and former editor-in-chief and publishing director at New Scientist. … Continue reading “Change Comes to the Arctic: A Photographic Journey”
Biogen Idec’s Dream: Antibodies That Kill Two Birds With One Stone
Some of the most successful biotech drugs ever created are designed to hit just one specific target on diseased cells, while sparing all sorts of markers found on healthy cells. But if Biogen Idec scientist Tony Manning and his colleagues are right, antibodies that specifically hit two targets could someday be better than one. Cambridge, … Continue reading “Biogen Idec’s Dream: Antibodies That Kill Two Birds With One Stone”
A Graceful Exit for Gloucester, Pink Slips at Sermo, A Half a Billion Bucks for Vertex, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
New England’s life sciences firms and their investors seemed to be exchanging some early holiday gifts this week. —Vertex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) completed the latest in a string of large financing and licensing deals. In this one, the Cambridge, MA-based developer of drugs for hepatitis C and cystic fibrosis sold a total of $500.5 million worth … Continue reading “A Graceful Exit for Gloucester, Pink Slips at Sermo, A Half a Billion Bucks for Vertex, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
PlumChoice Receives $10,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d95e1e2f-f2f2-4a9a-a848-71f05bf6c3e3&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2009 Company Name PlumChoice Mailing Address 5 Federal Street Billerica, MA 01821 Company Description PlumChoice’s premium remote computer and technology service is available to home and business PC users, business travelers, telecommuters, college students, persons with limited mobility and any PC user with Internet access. The company’s remote services include … Continue reading “PlumChoice Receives $10,000,000 New Funding Round”
Change Comes to the Arctic: A Photographic Journey
NEXT IMAGE >> East Svalbard I met this bear out on the pack ice just 800 miles from the North Pole. She was full of confidence and tried to climb straight aboard our 300-foot long ship (thankfully the sides were too high). Self assured she may be, but her future doesn’t look good…
Sermo Cutting 30 Workers, Source Says
Sermo, the company that created the country’s largest online community of doctors, informed about 30 workers this morning that they will be laid off, according to a source familiar with the matter. The source says that the company employed 60 to 80 people prior to the cutbacks. We reported that layoffs were coming in our … Continue reading “Sermo Cutting 30 Workers, Source Says”
Epizyme Tacks On Extra $8M Financing For Drugs that Turn Genes On or Off
Epizyme has found a new benefactor. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company, which develops drugs that dial genes on or off using “epigenetic” techniques, has raised another $8 million in its Series B venture financing from New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Tacking on that extra cash means Epizyme has now raised a total of $40 million in … Continue reading “Epizyme Tacks On Extra $8M Financing For Drugs that Turn Genes On or Off”
.406 Ventures Backs WellAware
Boston-based .406 Ventures is investing in WellAware Systems’ new $7.5 million round of financing, the Charlottesville, VA, startup reports. The company has developed integrated sensors and software designed to help healthcare providers monitor senior patients. Valhalla Partners, of Vienna, VA, joined .406 (which is named after the record-setting batting average of the late and great … Continue reading “.406 Ventures Backs WellAware”
Meetcha: A New Dating Site for the 40-Plus Set, from Monster/Eons Founder Jeff Taylor
[Updated 12/8/09 2:30 p.m. with comments from Taylor, see below] Jeff Taylor, the founder of Monster Worldwide and the founder/CEO of the boomer-focused online community Eons, is up to something new. Xconomy has learned that Taylor is about to launch a dating site, Meetcha.com, designed for people 40 and over. In an e-mail obtained by … Continue reading “Meetcha: A New Dating Site for the 40-Plus Set, from Monster/Eons Founder Jeff Taylor”
Hydro-Photon Finds $2M for Light-Based Water Purification Biz
Hydro-Photon, the Maine-based maker of handheld devices that use ultraviolet light to purify water, has raised just shy of $2 million in equity, according to an SEC filing. This will put more capital behind the firm’s product, called the “SteriPEN,” which looks like the hunting knife version of a lightsaber. But this handheld device is … Continue reading “Hydro-Photon Finds $2M for Light-Based Water Purification Biz”
San Diego’s ParAccel, Which Sprang From Netezza, Prepares for Next Database War
I discerned a couple of recurring themes when I sat down with ParAccel CEO David Ehrlich to discuss the venture-backed startup that specializes in database management systems technology. One is that ParAccel’s industry seems prone to what Ehrlich calls “database wars,” which might be best exemplified by the intense competition that broke out in the … Continue reading “San Diego’s ParAccel, Which Sprang From Netezza, Prepares for Next Database War”
Sugar on a Stick Sweetened
Sugar Labs, the Brookline, MA-based non-profit organization developing the Sugar educational operating environment originally designed for the One Laptop Per Child Foundation’s XO Laptop, has released a new version of Sugar on a Stick, an edition of the software that allows PC, netbook, or Mac users to boot directly into Sugar. The new version, called … Continue reading “Sugar on a Stick Sweetened”
Mersana Therapeutics Advancing Anti-Tumor Treatment with Novel Drug-Delivery Technology
Mersana Therapeutics is picking up momentum, thanks to the positive data its first anti-cancer drug is generating in a Phase I clinical trial. The study is providing evidence that the Cambridge, MA-based firm’s drug delivery technology works in humans. The startup’s “Fleximer” technology—which uses sugar-derived polymers to deliver treatments into cells—has the potential to rescue … Continue reading “Mersana Therapeutics Advancing Anti-Tumor Treatment with Novel Drug-Delivery Technology”
Backchannelmedia Signs Knology Deal
Boston-based Backchannelmedia, whose technology allows viewers of cable and broadcast TV shows and commercials to request information via e-mail whenever a “clickable moment” icon appears onscreen, has signed a deal with West Point, GA-based digital cable TV provider Knology to offer Backchannelmedia’s service to Knology customers in the Southeast and South Dakota. Up to now, … Continue reading “Backchannelmedia Signs Knology Deal”
The Arrogant Venture Capitalist: A View from the Trenches
The VC-entrepreneur relationship debate has always been heated and has been intensifying of late. Beyond “sour grapes” and “frustration bred by failure,” I wanted to dig deeper, so I used my blog to ping the community and share the feedback. Over sixty entrepreneurs responded and provided the foundation for this writeup. Poor First Impressions Richard … Continue reading “The Arrogant Venture Capitalist: A View from the Trenches”
Massachusetts IT Collaborative’s Report Is Data-Rich, Policy-Poor: A News Analysis
Here in Massachusetts, we’re very good at collecting data. This is the state that gave birth to the spreadsheet, after all. But when it comes to launching coordinated action to solve the problems confronting one of the state’s biggest industries, we’re a bit slower. Back in February, the administration of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick pulled … Continue reading “Massachusetts IT Collaborative’s Report Is Data-Rich, Policy-Poor: A News Analysis”
Movik Networks Receives $8,500,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=98110ec3-86fb-4d26-be2f-b5debc78ff98&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name Movik Networks Mailing Address One Monarch Drive Littleton, MA 01460 Company Description Movik Networks is headquartered near Boston, MA and has an R&D group in Bangalore, India. The company is focused on delivering purpose-built solutions that bring content and application awareness to the edge of the mobile … Continue reading “Movik Networks Receives $8,500,000 Series B Funding Round”
Cell Biosciences Acquires Protein Forest for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6e90e643-63eb-495e-96f7-5d683c306f23&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name Protein Forest Mailing Address Ledgemont Center 128 Spring St Lexington, MA 02421 Company Description Protein Forest, Inc. (founded in 2002) is a proteomics tools company located in Lexington, Massachusetts. The company develops, manufactures and markets instruments, consumables and software products to scientists around the world. The initial … Continue reading “Cell Biosciences Acquires Protein Forest for Undisclosed Sum”
Hydro-Photon Obtains $2,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7e5238e4-e733-4060-91bd-29adc7e0084d&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name Hydro-Photon Mailing Address 262 Ellsworth Road Blue Hill, ME 04614 Company Description SteriPEN® is the only portable water purifier that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to destroy waterborne microbes. Whether your source is a woodland brook or an overseas hotel tap, SteriPEN purifies clear water by destroying viruses, … Continue reading “Hydro-Photon Obtains $2,000,000 New Financing”
TPI Composites Lands $26,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f6446427-320d-4288-8413-3fc17dc122fa&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name TPI Composites Mailing Address 373 Market Street Warren, RI 02885-0367 Company Description TPI is a leading developer and volume manufacturer of large-scale composite structures for the wind energy, transportation and military vehicle markets. The company’s technology excels where high strength, light weight and durability are needed. TPI … Continue reading “TPI Composites Lands $26,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
Epizyme Obtains $8,000,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=67596a7b-37b6-4f7d-bb42-ef17d61a6c7f&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name Epizyme Mailing Address 840 Memorial Drive Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Epizyme is a biopharmaceutical company located in Cambridge, MA. Founded in late 2007, the company has brought together premier academic and industry leaders to rapidly translate the exciting discoveries emerging from epigenetic research into specific programs … Continue reading “Epizyme Obtains $8,000,000 Series B Financing”
AIKO Biotechnology Secures $1,200,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b164c1d0-616b-4ecd-a1f3-5daf78addf96&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name AIKO Biotechnology Mailing Address 2 Union Street Portland, ME 04101 Company Description AIKO Biotechnology, Inc. (“AIKO”) is an early stage drug discovery company founded to characterize and validate therapeutic candidates for the management of pain, addiction and adverse side effects resulting from prescription opioid pain reliever use. … Continue reading “AIKO Biotechnology Secures $1,200,000 Series A Financing”