The pace of New England tech and life sciences deal making was swift over the last week and a half—and there was noticeable bump in M&A transactions. —Boston-based RockPort Capital Partners participated in a $47 million financing round for Norwegian electric vehicle maker Think. —iWalk of Cambridge, MA, picked up an undisclosed amount of new … Continue reading “Sepracor Snatched up for $2.6B, EMC Acquires FastScale and Kazeon, Biogen Makes Bid For Facet, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Category: Boston
It’s Time to Start Networking for Real
While Scott Kirsner and my fellow Xconomist Tim Rowe both recently have commented on the benefits of mixing and mingling in Kendall Square, we have a more basic problem that won’t be solved by just rubbing shoulders. Chalk it up to Yankee stoicism; our long, dark winter; or our independent sectors of software, communications, medical … Continue reading “It’s Time to Start Networking for Real”
PlumChoice Secures $14,700,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d5af8f93-732e-4f30-9d10-266103e98365&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2009 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 Secures $14,700,000 New Round”
Cool Twitter Conference Boston
All summer long the Cool Twitter folks have been tweeting around the country holding conferences about using Twitter. Finally, they’ve come to Boston for a full day event. We’ve looked all over their website and on the preliminary agenda, both of which you can find here. But we’ll be danged if we can find a … Continue reading “Cool Twitter Conference Boston”
Going Global—Strategies For International Success
The Boston chapter of the International Executive Resources Group is presenting panel discussion on how U.S. companies can effectively expand to overseas markets. The speakers are top-notch and registration is free of charge—but space is limited so register soon.
VCs vs. Entrepreneurs Charity Tennis Tournament
On the hallowed grounds of the Longwood Cricket Club, venture capitalists square off against entrepreneurs in this third annual tennis tournament. For the second year in a row, Xconomy will be fielding a doubles team—and we are proud to once again be a sponsor, as proceeds go to benefit Tenacity, a 10-year-old organization that has … Continue reading “VCs vs. Entrepreneurs Charity Tennis Tournament”
Biogen Idec Makes Hostile $350M Takeover Bid for Facet Biotech
Biogen Idec isn’t sitting around waiting to get acquired—it wants to be the acquirer. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company said today it is making an unsolicited bid worth more than $350 million to acquire Redwood City, CA-based Facet Biotech, its partner in developing a new antibody drug for multiple sclerosis. Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) is … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Makes Hostile $350M Takeover Bid for Facet Biotech”
Ironwood Takes in $25M
Cambridge, MA-based Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, which is developing a drug to treat irritable bowel syndrome, has collected $25 million in a new venture financing round, according to regulatory documents posted yesterday. The investors weren’t named in the documents, but Terry McGuire, a partner at Polaris Venture Partners in Waltham, MA, is listed as a board member. … Continue reading “Ironwood Takes in $25M”
Elan Breached Tysabri Partnership With Biogen Idec, Federal Judge Says
Irish drugmaker Elan breached its multiple sclerosis drug partnership with Biogen Idec when it tried to cut a separate deal to collaborate with Johnson & Johnson, according to a federal judge. Elan, which made the announcement last night, said it respects the decision of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. … Continue reading “Elan Breached Tysabri Partnership With Biogen Idec, Federal Judge Says”
Seven Projects to Stretch Your Digital Wings: Part One
I love September. There’s a back-to-school crispness in the air that always gets me jazzed to learn something new, even though I’ve been out of school for 15 years. Maybe you feel it too. And with a long holiday weekend coming up, perhaps you’ve got a few hours free to experiment with a new tool … Continue reading “Seven Projects to Stretch Your Digital Wings: Part One”
Daktari Diagnostics Closes $2.8M Series A Round to Combat Global HIV Crisis
In remote villages in Africa, clinics are struggling to deliver timely blood tests to help doctors determine the best way to treat HIV patients. But Bill Rodriguez, a Harvard-trained physician, through his new startup Daktari Diagnostics, is working on a handheld device that could someday perform blood tests for HIV patients virtually anywhere within a … Continue reading “Daktari Diagnostics Closes $2.8M Series A Round to Combat Global HIV Crisis”
Massachusetts Business Czar Greg Bialecki’s Innovation Agenda: The Xconomy Interview, Part Two
Gregory Bialecki is Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s Secretary of Housing and Economic Development, and leads an ungainly collection of agencies charged with everything from promoting affordable housing in Massachusetts to attracting international business investment to the state. Here at Xconomy, we cross paths with Bialecki quite a bit, since he’s also responsible for many of … Continue reading “Massachusetts Business Czar Greg Bialecki’s Innovation Agenda: The Xconomy Interview, Part Two”
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Obtains $25,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6ebfa0ea-962c-4e98-80b1-fc61552e79a0&Preview=1 Date 9/4/2009 Company Name Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 320 Bent Street Cambridge, MA 02141 Company Description We are committed to the development of successful human medicines. Drugmaking is not a statistical event, nor simply a high-throughput industrialized pursuit. Our team is forging a process for creating and developing novel drug candidates … Continue reading “Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Obtains $25,000,000 New Funding Round”
Daktari Diagnostics Receives $2,800,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=42393e36-b530-4be5-b520-fdde5968a5ec&Preview=1 Date 9/4/2009 Company Name Daktari Diagnostics Mailing Address Undisclosed Boston, MA 02108 Company Description Daktari Diagnostics, Inc., is a new diagnostics company focused exclusively on the most pressing challenges in global health. The company develops simple, accurate, and affordable products that deliver critical diagnostic information to clinicians and patients across the … Continue reading “Daktari Diagnostics Receives $2,800,000 Series A Financing”
Drugmaker Sepracor Accepts $2.6B Buyout Offer from Japan’s Dainippon
In what could become Massachusetts’ largest life science deal of the year, Marlborough, MA-based drugmaker Sepracor (NASDAQ:[[ticker:SEPR]]) has agreed to be acquired by the Japanese pharmaceutical firm Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma for a whopping $2.6 billion, the companies reported early this morning. The deal would put another Massachusetts-based life sciences company in the hands of a … Continue reading “Drugmaker Sepracor Accepts $2.6B Buyout Offer from Japan’s Dainippon”
$40.4M Blows In For First Wind
First Wind, the Newton, MA-based developer and operator of wind farms, nabbed $40.4 million in federal financing for a planned installation at Stetson Ridge in Maine, Mass High Tech reports. The project is one of 12 to receive a combined $500 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Wade wrote about the challenges First … Continue reading “$40.4M Blows In For First Wind”
Thermo Fisher Hears B.R.A.H.M.S.
Waltham, MA-based Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: [[ticker:TMO]]), one of the world’s leading makers of diagnostic devices and lab equipment, said today that it has purchased Hennigsdorf, Germany-based B.R.A.H.M.S. for €330 million (US $470 million). B.R.A.H.M.S. is known for making a line of in vitro diagnostic tests based on patented biomarkers, including a test for sepsis … Continue reading “Thermo Fisher Hears B.R.A.H.M.S.”
Massachusetts Business Czar Greg Bialecki’s Innovation Agenda: The Xconomy Interview, Part One
From his corner office on the 21st floor of the MacCormack State Office Building on Beacon Hill, Gregory Bialecki has what is probably the best view of any state official in Massachusetts. To the south, the floor-to-ceiling windows peer over Boston Common, Downtown Crossing, the South End, and South Boston; to the east, they look … Continue reading “Massachusetts Business Czar Greg Bialecki’s Innovation Agenda: The Xconomy Interview, Part One”
Bicoastal Brain Scramble? Company Cultures Boiled Down to One Word, Part 2—Boston vs. Seattle
This is a special, bi-coastal edition of the X Factor (it doesn’t usually run in Seattle). For my column on Tuesday, I surveyed seven Boston-area startup CEOs and asked them to characterize their company cultures in one word. Truth be told, I canvassed nine CEOs, but only seven got back to me before my deadline. … Continue reading “Bicoastal Brain Scramble? Company Cultures Boiled Down to One Word, Part 2—Boston vs. Seattle”
Up and To the Right: Learning from the Healthcare IT Market in India
The Obama administration has allocated $19 billion in incentives for hospitals and practices that make meaningful use of electronic medical records systems, and everyone is biting their nails, waiting to find out the meaning of “meaningful.” But sitting 8,000 miles away from Washington, DC, I’m spending my summer internship focused on healthcare IT that’s measured … Continue reading “Up and To the Right: Learning from the Healthcare IT Market in India”
Harvard Spinout Outcome Sciences Digs Up Precious Medical Data that Obama Wants
How safe and useful are the drugs that we use? Physician Richard Gliklich, CEO of Outcome Sciences, was researching the real-world clinical outcomes of approved drugs and devices in the 1990s before there was much of market for that kind of information. Now the FDA and more than 2,000 other healthcare organizations around the world … Continue reading “Harvard Spinout Outcome Sciences Digs Up Precious Medical Data that Obama Wants”
MITX Marketing Technology Series—Get Relevant: The Next Generation of Website Personalization
Info and registration here. Cost: $35 members; $70 non-members Description: Marketers have been told for years the web can support highly personalized experiences. However very few websites today are actually leveraging this targeted content. This is quickly changing. A new breed of technology is putting marketers in charge of creating more relevant experiences. Experiences that … Continue reading “MITX Marketing Technology Series—Get Relevant: The Next Generation of Website Personalization”
Gloucester Wins Recommendation from FDA Panel for Lymphoma Drug
Gloucester Pharmaceuticals likely made its venture capitalists some fast money today. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company—which scored $29 million in venture capital last week—won an unambiguous vote of confidence today from an FDA advisory panel for its drug for a rare form of lymphoma. Gloucester’s drug for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, romidepsin, was recommended by the … Continue reading “Gloucester Wins Recommendation from FDA Panel for Lymphoma Drug”
Quanterix Taps New CEO
Quanterix, a Cambridge, MA-based developer of single-molecule analysis technology for use in cancer and other disease diagnostics, said today that it has named David Okrongly its new CEO. Nicholas Naclerio, founding CEO of the startup, will continue to serve as its chairman. Okrongly was most recently a senior vice president in the molecular diagnostics unit … Continue reading “Quanterix Taps New CEO”
Tech Cocktail Boston 3
From the event website: “We are excited to be hosting our third annual TECH cocktail Boston event on Thursday, September 3rd. The last two events were a huge success so we are happy to be coming back again to help showcase the local Boston tech scene. We expect another great turnout to see a handful … Continue reading “Tech Cocktail Boston 3”
Zendesk Ditching Boston for West Coast
Zendesk, a provider of a software-as-a-service system for help desk support for Twitter and other businesses, plans to relocate its corporate offices from Boston to San Francisco, Mass High Tech reported yesterday. Zendesk moved to the Hub from its original home in Denmark just four months ago, according to MHT, and the firm is relocating … Continue reading “Zendesk Ditching Boston for West Coast”
Pickett to Relinquish Biogen Idec Board Seat, New Financing for iWalk, Genocea Goes After Vaccine Market, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
New England’s life sciences startups gave us a lot to write about last week. —Luke talked with Genocea Biosciences CEO Staph Bakali about his Cambridge, MA-based startup’s strategy for developing new vaccines. The approach, based on research at Harvard Medical School, helped Genocea garner $23 million in venture capital earlier this year and has drawn … Continue reading “Pickett to Relinquish Biogen Idec Board Seat, New Financing for iWalk, Genocea Goes After Vaccine Market, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Dimdim Takes on the Webinar Big Boys
Though it may be one of the most grating neologisms of the Internet era, the “webinar” has grown into an important, often profitable, way for group leaders to reach employees and/or followers and for companies to reach existing and potential customers. The leading providers of webinar hosting technology are the WebEx division of Cisco Systems … Continue reading “Dimdim Takes on the Webinar Big Boys”
Gloucester Gears Up for FDA Panel Vote on Lymphoma Drug
[See update at 3:35 pm Eastern with FDA panel vote in favor.] You can bet that the people who just put $29 million into Gloucester Pharmaceuticals a few days ago will be watching very closely today for signs they got their money’s worth. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company will try to make its case today … Continue reading “Gloucester Gears Up for FDA Panel Vote on Lymphoma Drug”
40 Years After Sparking the Internet, BBN’s Long Search for a Home Ends…At Home
If you had to pick a birthday for the Internet, September 2, 1969—40 years ago today—would be a good candidate. That’s the day a team of researchers at UCLA sent the first computer-to-computer transmissions using the Interface Message Processor (IMP), the grand-daddy of all packet-switching routers and the foundation of the military-university Arpanet, which paved … Continue reading “40 Years After Sparking the Internet, BBN’s Long Search for a Home Ends…At Home”
BIF-5 Collaborative Innovation Summit
**Special discount for Xconomy readers–see below**–The Business Innovation Factory’s annual innovation summit, now in its 5th year (hence, BIF-5), has emerged as one of the country’s most exciting and inspiring innovation escapes. The event is co-hosted by Xconomy board member Bill Taylor and features 25 personal stories from some of the world’s “most compelling innovators, … Continue reading “BIF-5 Collaborative Innovation Summit”
EMC to Buy Kazeon
Hopkinton, MA-based EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]) announced today it has agreed to buy Kazeon Systems, a Mountain View, CA, maker of “eDiscovery” software for litigation support inside large corporations and law firms. EMC said Kazeon will become part of its Content Management and Archiving business unit, and that Kazeon’s technology will complement the company’s existing line … Continue reading “EMC to Buy Kazeon”
Genzyme’s Woes Piling Up as FDA Panel Says Data on Leukemia Drug are Lacking
The bad news just keeps flowing for Genzyme. Today, an FDA advisory panel recommended against approving the company’s application to start marketing a leukemia drug to patients over 60, saying the Cambridge, MA-based biotech giant hadn’t produced enough evidence that the drug is safe and effective for those patients. The agency isn’t required to follow … Continue reading “Genzyme’s Woes Piling Up as FDA Panel Says Data on Leukemia Drug are Lacking”
SeaChange Buys EventIS for $45M
SeaChange International, an Acton, MA-based provider of technology for video-on-demand television, said today that it has acquired its Dutch counterpart EventIS Group in a deal valued at $45 million. The deal also includes additional performance-based payments to EventIS shareholders that depend on certain annual sales goals for SeaChange (NASDAQ:[[ticker:SEAC]]) and EventIS products and services through … Continue reading “SeaChange Buys EventIS for $45M”
Another Genzyme Rival Advancing
The corporate parent of Cambridge, MA-based Shire Human Genetic Therapies said today that it has wrapped up the submission of its FDA application for approval of velaglucerase alfa, an enzyme-replacement therapy for patients with Type 1 Gaucher’s disease. The company still needs FDA approval before it begins U.S. sales of the treatment. Cambridge-based Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) … Continue reading “Another Genzyme Rival Advancing”
Raytheon to Acquire BBN
In a convergence of two legendary Boston-area technology concerns, Waltham, MA-based defense contracting giant Raytheon (NYSE: [[ticker:RTN]]) said today it will acquire Cambridge, MA-based BBN Technologies in a deal expected to close by the end of this year. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. BBN pioneered the development of the Arpanet, the predecessor to today’s Internet, and … Continue reading “Raytheon to Acquire BBN”
7 Boston Startup CEOs Boil Their Company Culture Down to One Word
First, let me get this out up front—I’m ripping off the idea for this column from my colleague Greg Huang, editor of Xconomy Seattle. Thanks Greg! Second, I spend a lot of time talking with venture capitalists about the startup business, and with entrepreneurs about venture capitalists AND the startup business. But those can be … Continue reading “7 Boston Startup CEOs Boil Their Company Culture Down to One Word”
Frame Media Reinvents Itself as Thinking Screen, Goes After Larger “Connected Screen” Market
Wireless digital photo frames, considered one of the hot new categories in consumer electronics back in 2006 and 2007, haven’t taken off as quickly as expected. People love digital frames, but they’ve tended to buy them as gifts pre-loaded with photos they uploaded to the Web, meaning many frames still don’t come with their own … Continue reading “Frame Media Reinvents Itself as Thinking Screen, Goes After Larger “Connected Screen” Market”
New Constellation Pharma CEO Gives Expected Timeline for Epigenetics Firm’s Cancer Drug Research
For all of the publicity it’s gotten lately, Constellation Pharmaceuticals has managed to keep a remarkably tight lid on the specifics of its research. So I was enthused when the Cambridge, MA-based firm’s new CEO, Mark Goldsmith, gave me some insights into where the firm stands in advancing potential drugs in the emerging field of … Continue reading “New Constellation Pharma CEO Gives Expected Timeline for Epigenetics Firm’s Cancer Drug Research”
Report: Oxford Bioscience Partner Leaves After Securities Trading Breach
[Updated 8/31/09 6:10 p.m., see below] Jeffrey Barnes, a former general partner with Boston-based Oxford Bioscience Partners, has resigned from the firm, PE Hub‘s Dan Primack first reported today. According to the report, Barnes was asked to leave after the firm discovered that he had engaged in personal trading of securities in Oxford Bioscience portfolio … Continue reading “Report: Oxford Bioscience Partner Leaves After Securities Trading Breach”
EMC Seeds Its Cloud Offerings, Acquires FastScale Technology
Hopkington, MA-based information storage and management company EMC announced today that it has acquired FastScale Technology, a Santa Clara, CA, provider of software platforms and applications for enterprises. EMC said in a statement that the acquisition will strengthen its cloud computing capabilities by dramatically increasing “the performance and scalability of private cloud infrastructures.” Terms of … Continue reading “EMC Seeds Its Cloud Offerings, Acquires FastScale Technology”
The Greater Boston Mobile Cluster Quiz: Answers and A Bit of Commentary
Maybe it was the new mobile friendly version of Xconomy (at m.xconomy.com) that we launched a few weeks ago. Or maybe it was just the fact that I’ve been on the road a lot lately. But in any case, last Thursday I had mobile on my mind and so rummaged around data from Mobile Monday … Continue reading “The Greater Boston Mobile Cluster Quiz: Answers and A Bit of Commentary”
How Much Wood Would WoodPellets.com Sell If It Had $11M in New Venture Funding?
There are a couple centuries of progress separating wood-burning stove technology from MIT-bred logistics software. But the two are more closely related than you might think. In Goffstown, NH, a startup that just raised millions of dollars from two Boston-area venture firms is using the latest in supply chain management technology to build a national … Continue reading “How Much Wood Would WoodPellets.com Sell If It Had $11M in New Venture Funding?”
How to Build a Billion-Dollar Company (And Keep An Academic Day Job), According to David Walt
Anyone compiling a list of the most successful life sciences entrepreneurs of the past decade would have to consider a soft-spoken academic named David Walt. He’s the chemistry professor at Medford, MA-based Tufts University who co-founded Illumina in 1998. San Diego-based Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) found its niche in the past decade by boosting the efficiency … Continue reading “How to Build a Billion-Dollar Company (And Keep An Academic Day Job), According to David Walt”
How “Place” Matters in Innovation
There has been a lively debate following Scott Kirsner’s Innovation Economy blog “Why Waltham Doesn’t Matter.” One of the threads is whether it matters if entrepreneurs and VCs are physically concentrated close to each other. It should not matter where a VC’s offices are located. Good VCs and entrepreneurs will find each other. Andrew Perlman, … Continue reading “How “Place” Matters in Innovation”
WoodPellets.com Receives $11,000,000 Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dfe8f41c-f5e2-485e-a34b-dc99806f0458&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2009 Company Name WoodPellets.com Mailing Address 84 Daniel Plummer Road Goffstown, NH 03045 Company Description Distributor and online retailer of wood pellets and biomass fuels for residential heating. Website http://www.woodpellets.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $11,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes WoodPellets.com will use the capital to continue … Continue reading “WoodPellets.com Receives $11,000,000 Series B Financing Round”
Cray Acquires SiCortex for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=39bd9e0a-4dd5-4b50-af76-d11250242615&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2009 Company Name SiCortex Mailing Address Three Clock Tower Place Maynard, MA 01754 Company Description SiCortex is a new computer company based in the Boston area, with a mission to design, build, and market next generation Linux clusters for demanding technical applications. Website http://www.sicortex.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed … Continue reading “Cray Acquires SiCortex for Undisclosed Sum”
Richard Egan, EMC Co-founder, Dies at 73
[Updated, August 29, 1:40 pm—see below] Xconomy is saddened to note that Richard Egan, the “E” in EMC, has passed away. The co-founder, with Roger Marino, of the Hopkinton, MA-based data storage and information management giant, Egan was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in May. He died at his Boston home yesterday, according to an … Continue reading “Richard Egan, EMC Co-founder, Dies at 73”
Vidly, Formerly TwitVid, Raises $500K
San Francisco-based Vidly, which helps users to share videos over social media services such as Twitter, announced yesterday that it has raised $500,000 in funding from renowned angel investor Ron Conway and other investors. The startup, launched in 2008 in Cambridge, MA, through the Y Combinator startup training program, recently changed its name from TwitVid.
iWalk Secures Venture Round
iWalk, the Cambridge, MA-based developer of an actively powered prosthetic ankle and foot, has raised a new round of venture financing that provides a post-money valuation of $20 million, according to Rick Casler, the company’s chief technology officer. The amount of equity investment isn’t yet being disclosed, although General Catalyst led the round, Casler says, … Continue reading “iWalk Secures Venture Round”