Maybe you’d like to have a sleek, attractive blog or website for yourself or your business. Maybe you’ve looked around at some of the free blogging or lifestreaming platforms like Blogger, Posterous, Tumblr, TypePad, and WordPress.com and you’ve been underwhelmed by the cookie-cutter sameness of the sites you see there. If either of those things … Continue reading “How to Launch a Professional-Looking Blog on a Shoestring”
Category: Boston
Silicon Valley Beats Boston in VC-Backed Flameouts, Too
As you might have noticed around Boston, a lot of people like to whine about how California and especially Silicon Valley are, well, just better at startups. Entrepreneurs flock to California, where venture capitalists take more risks. Why, oh why, can’t we be more like Silicon Valley? Well, it turns out VCs and entrepreneurs in … Continue reading “Silicon Valley Beats Boston in VC-Backed Flameouts, Too”
Variety of Investors Expected at Mass. Biotech Council Forum
How hard has it gotten for life sciences companies to raise capital? Will biotech startups eventually resort to collecting change in hats to raise money? Companies these days are ready to consider a number of different avenues to raise money and move their science toward commercialization—venture capital financings, corporate partnerships, government grants, awards from nonprofits. … Continue reading “Variety of Investors Expected at Mass. Biotech Council Forum”
Google Backs Adimab, PVI Sweetens E Ink Deal, Sanofi-Aventis Partners With Merrimack Pharma, & More Boston-Area Deals News
As has been the case in recent weeks, M&A news featured prominently in this week’s New England tech and life sciences deals. —Harvard spinoff Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals of Watertown, MA, raised $10 million out of a planned $29.6 million equity financing round, the company indicated in an SEC filing. Tetraphase is developing new antibiotics to treat … Continue reading “Google Backs Adimab, PVI Sweetens E Ink Deal, Sanofi-Aventis Partners With Merrimack Pharma, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
EnglishCentral Obtains New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5abb9c9a-a536-408c-bae4-69af1b853594&Preview=1 Date 10/2/2009 Company Name EnglishCentral Mailing Address 30 Hancock St. Lexington, MA 02420 Company Description EnglishCentral aims to become the premier, web-based conversational English language learning destination for desktop and mobile users. Website http://www.englishcentral.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “EnglishCentral Obtains New Financing”
Xconomy Channels Startups and Life Sciences
Notice anything new here? Over to the right a little… Little more… Next to the map? (Bear with me, loyal RSS and e-mail subscribers, this will all make sense in a minute.) Today marks the official launch of our new Startups and Life Sciences channels, whose homepages you can access via those handy new buttons … Continue reading “Xconomy Channels Startups and Life Sciences”
Merrimack Pharma Grabs $60M Upfront From Sanofi for Cancer Antibody
Cambridge, MA-based Merrimack Pharmaceuticals struck a big deal today with Paris-based pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis that will bring $60 million in upfront cash to the smaller company in exchange for rights to co-develop and co-market an experimental antibody drug for cancer. The deal calls for Sanofi to pay all developments costs, plus another $470 million in … Continue reading “Merrimack Pharma Grabs $60M Upfront From Sanofi for Cancer Antibody”
iRobot Alumni Build Robot-Vacuum Accessories To Promote “Successful Cleaning Missions”
Sometimes a robot just needs a little help from its friends. And now a pair of former iRobot engineers who lost their jobs in last year’s downsizing at the Bedford, MA, company have struck out on their own to help iRobot’s popular Roomba floor cleaning robots do their jobs better. Launched in January, Robot Add-Ons … Continue reading “iRobot Alumni Build Robot-Vacuum Accessories To Promote “Successful Cleaning Missions””
Google Ventures Backs Adimab in Antibody Discovery Business
[Updated 10/01/09 10:45 am. See below] Adimab has added Google Ventures to the roster of venture investors that are backing the Lebanon, NH-based biotech startup in its development of a fast and powerful antibody discovery platform, the company reports this morning. Google Ventures, the corporate venture arm of the Internet giant Google (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GOOG]]), led a … Continue reading “Google Ventures Backs Adimab in Antibody Discovery Business”
MIT Energy Night
The MIT Energy Club and the MIT Sloan Energy and Environment Club sponsor an evening gathering at the MIT Museum. From the event description: “The third annual MIT Energy Night will showcase the most interesting energy research coming out of MIT. MIT research groups, educational programs, and spin-off companies will present their latest offerings in … Continue reading “MIT Energy Night”
Facet Board Recommends Rejecting Biogen Bid
[Clarified Oct. 1—see below] Directors of Facet Biotech (NASDAQ:[[ticker:FACT]]) have unanimously recommended that its shareholders reject Biogen Idec’s $14.50 per share takeover bid, an all cash deal worth some $355 million, the California company announced today. Biogen (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) had proposed acquiring Facet, its partner in developing an antibody drug for multiple sclerosis, in early September. … Continue reading “Facet Board Recommends Rejecting Biogen Bid”
Former Harvard Official Tapped to Expand Tech Transfer at Brown U.
Brown University says it has hired Katherine Gordon, a veteran of Harvard University’s technology transfer office, to help the Providence, RI-based university commercialize more of its research. Brown’s tech transfer efforts have lagged some of its Ivy League counterparts in the past, but Gordon says she has the industry experience and contacts to expand commercial … Continue reading “Former Harvard Official Tapped to Expand Tech Transfer at Brown U.”
Adimab Lands New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3bee0b16-f12d-42f3-aa1d-cbed19dc16c5&Preview=1 Date 10/1/2009 Company Name Adimab Mailing Address 16 Cavendish Court Lebanon, NH 03766 Company Description Adimab–which stands for Antibody Discovery Maturation Biomanufacturing–is developing a platform that’s deliberately engineered to minimize and potentially eliminate third party royalties, offering a one-stop-service-shop to a select few Big Pharma partners. Website http://www.adimab.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Adimab Lands New Round”
Vertex Raises $155M Through Debt Financing for Hepatitis C Drug in Europe
Vertex Pharmaceuticals said today it will bring in $155 million in cash through a pair of deals related to the potential commercialization of its lead hepatitis C drug in Europe, the company said this afternoon. In both transactions, investors are betting on telaprevir, a projected multibillion-dollar seller, to win European approval. The Cambridge, MA-based drug … Continue reading “Vertex Raises $155M Through Debt Financing for Hepatitis C Drug in Europe”
Gateways to Tomorrow Conference: Boston-North West Ireland Conference
Current and future connections and opportunities between Boston and Northern Ireland are the focus of this 2-day meeting. Speakers include business and government representatives from both sides of the pond. For full agenda and registration details, visit the conference web site.
Leadership for Drug Development Teams: Cross-Functional Leadership Skills for Pharma and Biotech R&D
This three-day course is presented by Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. The program addresses challenges and strategies for leadership in drug development. Limited to 35 participants. Registration information and agenda available at the conference web site.
E Ink Buyer Amends Merger Offer After Shareholder Unrest
After some E Ink shareholders said they would block a merger between the Cambridge, MA-based firm and Taiwan’s Prime View International (PVI), an amended merger agreement has gained enough shareholder support for the deal to reach fruition, both companies report. E Ink shareholders had complained PVI’s initial offer of $215 million in cash, made in … Continue reading “E Ink Buyer Amends Merger Offer After Shareholder Unrest”
Hearings on Non-Compete Restrictions Set for Next Week
A bill proposing restrictions on non-compete agreements in employment contracts in Massachusetts will have its first hearing on Beacon Hill next week, after nine months of discussion, revision, and compromise. The state legislature’s Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development will hear comments on the bill, introduced by State Representatives Lori Ehrlich and Will Brownsberger, … Continue reading “Hearings on Non-Compete Restrictions Set for Next Week”
Blackwave Captures $3.5M Financing
Blackwave, an Acton, MA-based provider of servers that store video content and deliver it to users over the Internet, has raised $3.5 million of a planned $9.1 million round of equity financing, according to an SEC filing. The document did not identify the investors in the round, and Blackwave CEO Bob Rizika could not be … Continue reading “Blackwave Captures $3.5M Financing”
Fate Therapeutics Growing Fast on “Industrialized” Stem Cell Technology
Want to know how fast Fate Therapeutics is growing? When I toured the La Jolla, CA, company’s labs to get an update last week, one young scientist stood up from his desk, looked me in the eye, offered a firm handshake, and said “Welcome aboard.” I understood why a visiting journalist in a button-down shirt … Continue reading “Fate Therapeutics Growing Fast on “Industrialized” Stem Cell Technology”
Genzyme Faces More Setbacks, Humedica Creating a Healthcare “Census,” Pops Back as Alkermes CEO, & More Boston-Area Life Science News
There were a wide variety of developments in the Boston-area life sciences sector over the past week. Companies in the headlines included big ones like Genzyme and Covidien as well as smaller startups such as Humedica and Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals. Here are some highlights: —We got an early look at Cambridge, MA-based Humedica’s strategy for developing … Continue reading “Genzyme Faces More Setbacks, Humedica Creating a Healthcare “Census,” Pops Back as Alkermes CEO, & More Boston-Area Life Science News”
Blackwave Garners $3,500,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4c612884-0513-4d15-94bf-664cfc7c73ef&Preview=1 Date 9/30/2009 Company Name Blackwave Mailing Address 289 Great Road LL2 Acton, MA 01720 Company Description Blackwave, a venture backed company, is taking the guesswork out of providing cost effective systems for storing and delivering Internet Video – providing industry leading performance and scalability designed to meet the growing needs of … Continue reading “Blackwave Garners $3,500,000 New Funding”
Salary.com Acquires Makena Systems for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d505c590-899c-48f3-b3ad-e00b11320440&Preview=1 Date 9/30/2009 Company Name Makena Systems Mailing Address Undisclosed Lexington, MA 02420 Company Description Makena Systems is a provider of on-demand software for designing sales compensation plans. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Boston Scientific Pays $716M to Settle Patent Dispute with J&J
Boston Scientific has agreed to pay $716 million to Johnson & Johnson to settle 14 lawsuits related to patent disputes in the field of interventional cardiology. Both companies make products in that field that seek to be less invasive alternatives for patients with cardiovascular disease, who otherwise might be headed toward open-heart surgery. Natick, MA-based … Continue reading “Boston Scientific Pays $716M to Settle Patent Dispute with J&J”
Gilbane Conference Boston
Gilbane Group, the Cambridge, MA-based analyst and consulting firm focused on enterprise content management challenges, will hold its sixth annual conference in Boston, December 1-3. The conference will cover everything from Microsoft Sharepoint to XBRL, and from mobile search to Google Wave. Complete conference program and registration info is at www.gilbaneboston.com. Xconomy readers can save … Continue reading “Gilbane Conference Boston”
Akamai Takes High-Definition to the Internet
Engineers long ago figured out how to deliver high-definition TV signals via over-the-air broadcast and cable, but the Internet is a different animal. Trying to squeeze that much data through a home or office Internet connection can lead to stutter and long “buffering” delays. For some time now, Akamai has been working on upgrades to … Continue reading “Akamai Takes High-Definition to the Internet”
MooBella’s Revamped Ice Cream Machines Debut at MIT After $18M Financing Deal
MooBella was having no trouble finding people willing to try out its make-your-own ice cream machines last week at MIT. If only designing market-ready versions of the machines—which are now more than a decade in the making—were as easy. Xconomy got the inside scoop recently on how MooBella has spent the last couple of years … Continue reading “MooBella’s Revamped Ice Cream Machines Debut at MIT After $18M Financing Deal”
Flying High at Babson: Len Schlesinger Wants to Create the Equivalent of the Airline Industry’s Star Alliance for Teaching Entrepreneurship
Len Schlesinger wryly refers to himself as president of the finest business school between Route 128 and I-495. And indeed, Wellesley, MA-based Babson College is, for many folks around Boston (and elsewhere), often over-shadowed by Hub institutions I don’t need to name. Yet Babson is also one of the country’s top business schools. I’m not … Continue reading “Flying High at Babson: Len Schlesinger Wants to Create the Equivalent of the Airline Industry’s Star Alliance for Teaching Entrepreneurship”
Zintro’s Pay-by-the-Call Service Connects Investors, Others with Industry Experts
If you spend much time in the business or legal world, “due diligence” is a phrase you hear a lot. It’s the polite term for the time you have to spend figuring out whether a potential client, vendor, investment, acquisition, or partner is legit or phony, smart or just slick. Part of the process involves … Continue reading “Zintro’s Pay-by-the-Call Service Connects Investors, Others with Industry Experts”
Covidien to Buy Aspect Medical for $210M
Irish healthcare products giant Covidien (NYSE:[[ticker:COV]]) has reached an agreement to purchase Aspect Medical Systems (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ASPM]]), a Norwood, MA-based company specializing in braining monitoring technology, for approximately $210 million in cash, Covidien announced today. Aspect, founded in 1987, will become part of Covidien’s Oximetry and Monitoring product line inside the Medical Devices segment, according to … Continue reading “Covidien to Buy Aspect Medical for $210M”
Egenera Picks Up $3M
Marlborough, MA-based Egenera has raised $3 million in new equity financing, according to regulatory forms filed today. An executive for the company, which makes software for managing physical and virtual servers in corporate data centers, told Mass High Tech the funds came from existing investors, a group that includes Austin Ventures, Crosslink Capital, Kodiak Venture … Continue reading “Egenera Picks Up $3M”
Xerox Spends $6.4B on ACS
Xerox (NYSE: [[ticker:XRX]]), the document-management giant headquartered in Norwalk, CT, said today that it will buy Affiliated Computer Services (NYSE: [[ticker:ACS]]), a Dallas, TX-based business process outsourcing firm, for $6.4 billion in cash and stock. The acquisition will turn Xerox—like IBM or Dell—into a hybrid technology and services firm; ACS has 74,000 employees focusing on … Continue reading “Xerox Spends $6.4B on ACS”
Alkermes’ Ambitious Builder, Richard Pops, Grabs Reins to Re-Ignite Growth Phase
Richard Pops is not the sort of guy to sit still and patiently wait for good things to happen. He took the CEO job at Cambridge, MA-based Alkermes when he was just 28 years old, built it from 20 employees to more than 400, and made it profitable by the end of his 16-year run … Continue reading “Alkermes’ Ambitious Builder, Richard Pops, Grabs Reins to Re-Ignite Growth Phase”
From Academics to Biotech: A Journey to the Supposed “Dark Side”
If you had told me last year that today I would be running the offices of Accelerator Corporation—at least for one morning while everyone is out of town—I would have probably sniffed in disdain, tossed my hair, and shuffled back to my post-doc lab bench, a free donut in one hand (magic vendor food) and … Continue reading “From Academics to Biotech: A Journey to the Supposed “Dark Side””
Robonica President, an Ex-Hasbro Exec, Hopes to Put Boston Back on Toy Industry Map with Rolling Robots
Boston is home to a huge cluster of hot game companies, from Harmonix to Turbine to 38 Studios. But you might be surprised to learn just how deep the region’s gaming history goes. If Xconomy had been around a century ago, we probably would have been writing about Parker Brothers, which got its start in … Continue reading “Robonica President, an Ex-Hasbro Exec, Hopes to Put Boston Back on Toy Industry Map with Rolling Robots”
Egenera Garners $3,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=72624547-cf8e-450b-92b8-23702465cf7a&Preview=1 Date 9/28/2009 Company Name Egenera Mailing Address 165 Forest Street Marlboro, MA 01752 Company Description Egenera is a global leader in delivering computing solutions that simplify datacenter operations and infrastructure. The Egenera BladeFrame product family simplifies the datacenter with an innovative server architecture specifically designed to reduce complexity and enable IT … Continue reading “Egenera Garners $3,000,000 New Financing Round”
MassTLC Innovation unConference 2009
From the event description: “Four generations of entrepreneurs will gather on October 1, 2009 with the focus on driving innovation in the region. Unlike the planned sessions and passive audiences of typical conferences, MassTLC’s Innovation 2009 is an unConference where the agenda is formed organically by all attendees the day of the event. No podiums. … Continue reading “MassTLC Innovation unConference 2009”
$10M for Tetraphase
Watertown, MA-based Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals has raised $10 million out of a planned $29.6 million equity financing round, according to regulatory documents filed Wednesday. The Harvard spinoff, which is using synthetic chemistry to develop new antibiotics for drug-resistant infections, previously raised $25 million in two tranches that closed in August 2008.
Fifth Conference on Clean Energy
At the Conference on Clean Energy, co-produced by the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center and the Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition, stakeholders in business, innovation, academic and government organizations gather for a showcase of clean energy startups and presentations by industry, finance, international and university panels representing the cluster. The official conference website is here; registration info is … Continue reading “Fifth Conference on Clean Energy”
A123Systems Pulls Off Big IPO, PrimeraDx Grabs $20M, Conduit Labs Collects $3M, and More Boston-Area Deals News
The big news this week was obviously the A123Systems IPO, but quite a few other New England tech and life sciences firms had deals to report as well. —Mansfield, MA-based PrimeraDx—a developer of automated lab equipment spun off by Providence, RI-based Sention four years ago—raised $20 million in a Series C financing round. New investor … Continue reading “A123Systems Pulls Off Big IPO, PrimeraDx Grabs $20M, Conduit Labs Collects $3M, and More Boston-Area Deals News”
Ansel Adams Meets Apple: The Camera Phone Craze in Photography
[Corrected 9/28/09: Chase Jarvis is based in Seattle, not San Francisco. I regret the error and apologize to our Seattle readers!] Seattle-based commercial photographer Chase Jarvis is known for his arresting, color-saturated images of people in motion—skiing, swimming, somersaulting. He’s also known for (literally) trademarking the phrase “the best camera is the one you have … Continue reading “Ansel Adams Meets Apple: The Camera Phone Craze in Photography”
A123Systems’ IPO Gives Shareholders a Big Jolt
[Corrected 9:05 a.m. 9/25/09, see below] In a performance reminiscent of the frothy days of the dot-com boom, stock in Watertown, MA-based lithium ion battery maker A123Systems (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AONE]]) soared more than 50 percent in its first day of trading yesterday. It’s been years since a New England technology firm burst out of the IPO … Continue reading “A123Systems’ IPO Gives Shareholders a Big Jolt”
TetraPhase Pharmaceuticals Secures $10,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=28ac148d-6a25-4c56-804e-b43714c22e5c&Preview=1 Date 9/25/2009 Company Name TetraPhase Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 480 Arsenal Street Watertown, MA 02472 Company Description Tetraphase Pharmaceuticas is focused on the discovery and development of new tetracycline antibiotics to treat drug resistant bacterial infections. The company’s approach capitalizes on ground-breaking technology, licensed from Harvard University (Dr. Andrew Myers, Professor of … Continue reading “TetraPhase Pharmaceuticals Secures $10,000,000 New Financing”
Shareaholic Collects Angel Funding Round
Shareaholic founder Jay Meattle was in touch today to say that his Cambridge startup has raised its first round of angel funding. Back in July, I reviewed Shareaholic’s popular browser plugin, which makes it easy to save or share material found on the Web via common social networking, social bookmarking, and news aggregator services. Meattle … Continue reading “Shareaholic Collects Angel Funding Round”
A123Systems IPO Massively Exceeds Estimates
[Updated 4:15 p.m. 9/24/09 with A123System’ closing stock price for the day, see below] A123Systems, the Watertown, MA-based developer of advanced lithium-ion batteries for cars and power tools, said this morning that it has priced its initial public offering of 27.5 million shares of common stock at $13.50 per share—way above the $8 to $9.50 … Continue reading “A123Systems IPO Massively Exceeds Estimates”
Sirtris’ Westphal and Collaborators Launching New Nonprofit to Help People Live Longer
Christoph Westphal, the CEO of biotech firm Sirtris, says that he and several of his colleagues are forming a new nonprofit group in the Boston area called the Healthy Lifespan Institute. The institute is being formed to research non-pharmaceutical measures that people can take to live longer and healthier lives and to educate people about … Continue reading “Sirtris’ Westphal and Collaborators Launching New Nonprofit to Help People Live Longer”
Peter Brooke and Terry McGuire Team Up for Unprecedented Discussion of Venture Capital and Private Equity—Sign Up Fast for the Next Xconomy Forum
As the world digs out from under the effects of one of the greatest economic crises in history, there are few people who can survey the financial landscape and provide experience, perspective, and wisdom the way Peter Brooke can. The chairman and founder of Advent International and before that the founder of TA Associates, Brooke … Continue reading “Peter Brooke and Terry McGuire Team Up for Unprecedented Discussion of Venture Capital and Private Equity—Sign Up Fast for the Next Xconomy Forum”
Ze-gen Ramps Up its Waste Gasification Process: Lessons from a Clean-Energy Startup
Xconomy has been around for 27 months now, long enough to watch quite a few of our fellow Boston-area startups expand, deal with serious challenges, and start to get their technologies out into the world. One of them is Ze-gen, a waste gasification company that I first visited in August 2007. This week I got … Continue reading “Ze-gen Ramps Up its Waste Gasification Process: Lessons from a Clean-Energy Startup”
Shareaholic Lands Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d32e9641-9bdd-430e-af25-d286b16664da&Preview=1 Date 9/24/2009 Company Name Shareaholic Mailing Address Undisclosed Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Shareaholic makes it easy to save or share material found on the Web via common social networking, social bookmarking, and news aggregator services. Website http://www.shareaholic.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Shareaholic Lands Series A Funding”
Ray Kurzweil on the Democratization of Innovation
The MIT Enterprise Forum Innovation Series presents a keynote speech by technology innovator Ray Kurzweil, followed by a conversation led by Sim Simeonov of FastIgnite. Full information here; registration here. From the event description: “Impervious to the roller-coaster ride of the financial markets, the past decade has brought about an unprecedented acceleration in technology development … Continue reading “Ray Kurzweil on the Democratization of Innovation”