Category: Boston

Vertex Scores $105M For Asian Telaprevir Rights, Avila Avails Itself of $30M, IBM Picks Up Ounce Labs, & More Boston-Area Deals News

Is it just me, or is the roundup of New England technology and life sciences deals news getting a little longer each week? —Matrix Partners of Waltham, MA, reportedly raised $600 million for two new funds. A $450 million main fund is to be invested in software, mobile, consumer Internet, communications, and systems startups, and … Continue reading “Vertex Scores $105M For Asian Telaprevir Rights, Avila Avails Itself of $30M, IBM Picks Up Ounce Labs, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

Apperian Receives $1,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b6bd0b7b-ba7d-468f-ab26-b9685ca89214&Preview=1 Date 7/31/2009 Company Name Apperian Mailing Address Undisclosed Boston, MA 02102 Company Description Apperian currently makes enterprise-class iPhone applications for large companies seeking to engage consumers in new, innovative ways and enhance productivity among their employees and partners. Website http://www.apperian.com/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,000,000 Transaction Round Series A … Continue reading “Apperian Receives $1,000,000 Series A Financing”

MBTA Data Helps Google Users Get Around Boston

At a press conference in the bustling lobby of Boston’s South Station this morning, Google and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (known to locals as the “T”) announced that they’ve collaborated to make route and schedule information for all T trains and buses available inside Google Maps. It’s all information that’s already online at the … Continue reading “MBTA Data Helps Google Users Get Around Boston”

Vertex Grabs $105M in Amended Telaprevir Deal with Mitsubishi

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:VRTX]]) is making its second move this month to raise non-dilutive cash from its previous agreements to commercialize its experimental hepatitis C drug telaprevir. The Cambridge, MA-based firm said this morning that it will receive an upfront sum of $105 million from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma in an amended deal between the two companies … Continue reading “Vertex Grabs $105M in Amended Telaprevir Deal with Mitsubishi”

MSM Protein Technologies Scores Antibody-Drug Discovery Partnerships

MSM Protein Technologies, a spinoff of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is announcing today it has secured partnerships with Germany-based Merck KGaA, and Switzerland-based Debiopharm Group, a drug development firm. The team at Medford, MA-based MSM will work to create antibody drugs that zero in on complex targets on cells known as G-protein coupled receptors and other … Continue reading “MSM Protein Technologies Scores Antibody-Drug Discovery Partnerships”

Making Carbon Credits Count: World Energy Upgrades Green Exchange Marketplace

If you worry about contributing to global warming–and who doesn’t?—there’s more than one way to go green. You can take actions to reduce your carbon footprint,which, for a big company, might mean doing things like building a LEED-certified office building or buying hybrid vehicles for your corporate fleet. Or you can buy carbon offsets, also … Continue reading “Making Carbon Credits Count: World Energy Upgrades Green Exchange Marketplace”

Genzyme Hit with Shareholder Suit, Herald Reports

The Boston Herald reports that an investor in Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) has filed a securities lawsuit against the Cambridge, MA-based biotech powerhouse. The daily tabloid writes that the suit, filed by Florida resident Jon Rahn, claims that Genzyme took “too long” to disclose issues that federal regulators found last fall at its drug-production facilities in Boston … Continue reading “Genzyme Hit with Shareholder Suit, Herald Reports”

Joule Debuts Biofuel Technology, Genzyme Cleans House, Avila Banks $30M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

New England’s life sciences companies gave us a number of cool new technologies and interesting deals to talk about this week. —Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]) finished cleaning up its Allston, MA-based plant after a viral contamination which caused 6-to-8 week supply shortages of two of its best-selling drugs. —–Archemix, also of Cambridge, forged an … Continue reading “Joule Debuts Biofuel Technology, Genzyme Cleans House, Avila Banks $30M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Forma and Novartis Form Cancer Drug Collaboration

Forma Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm, said this morning that it has landed a drug-discovery collaboration with Swiss drug giant Novartis. Novartis, which has previously invested in Forma through its Novartis Option Fund, is tapping the biotech startup to apply its cell-based screening platform to discover inhibitor treatments that target protein-to-protein interactions in cancer. … Continue reading “Forma and Novartis Form Cancer Drug Collaboration”

Patrick Administration Questions the Case for Changing Noncompetes; Community Reacts

[Updated with extensive comments—see pages 2 and 3] In a message posted yesterday on his “Mass Innovation” blog, Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Gregory Bialecki says the case for outlawing noncompete clauses in employment contracts in the state is not yet “sufficiently proven” for Governor Deval Patrick’s administration to throw its weight behind … Continue reading “Patrick Administration Questions the Case for Changing Noncompetes; Community Reacts”

Mathcad Inventor Reveals New Startup’s True Ambition—Numbers That Mean More and Don’t Make Mistakes

Engineering may be a numbers-driven profession, but it’s the context surrounding the numbers that makes all the difference. NASA learned that the hard way in September 1999. Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory programmed thrusters on the Mars Climate Orbiter, which was designed to take up a permanent orbit around the Red Planet, to expect … Continue reading “Mathcad Inventor Reveals New Startup’s True Ambition—Numbers That Mean More and Don’t Make Mistakes”

Clarus Leans on Customer Reviews at the Broad Institute to Bet on NanoString

[Corrected July 29, 10 a.m. See below.] Warren Buffett says he became one of the world’s most successful investors partly because he only invests in businesses he understands. But where do you find investors if your niche is in something called direct multiplexed measurement of gene expression? Last month, Seattle-based NanoString Technologies, the developer of … Continue reading “Clarus Leans on Customer Reviews at the Broad Institute to Bet on NanoString”

Vela Systems Completes $10.5M Funding

Burlington, MA-based Vela Systems, which develops software for construction firms, has completed a $10.5 million equity funding, according to an amended SEC filing made today. The investors were not disclosed. In July 2007, Vela raised $6 million, which is included in the $10.5 million total. The company provides software to allow construction companies to access, … Continue reading “Vela Systems Completes $10.5M Funding”

IBM Snaps Up Security Software Firm Ounce Labs

IBM announced today that it has acquired Waltham, MA-based security and compliance software firm Ounce Labs for an undisclosed amount. The move could help Big Blue meet its clients’ growing need to reduce the costs and risks associated with increasingly complex security and business regulations and policies. Corporations constantly struggle with security and compliance issues, … Continue reading “IBM Snaps Up Security Software Firm Ounce Labs”

Extreme Reach Gets More Funding

Extreme Reach, a Needham, MA-based video advertising management startup, announced today it has received new money from three venture firms to expand upon its current operations. Village Ventures, Greycroft Partners, and Long River Ventures are funding the latest round of expansion for Extreme Reach, which says it already has more than 8,000 customers since launching … Continue reading “Extreme Reach Gets More Funding”

Massachusetts Has “One Foot in the 21st Century, One Foot in the 18th,” Says Attorney General Coakley

In an informal discussion with technology leaders from industry and academia this morning at Microsoft’s New England Research and Development Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and staff members from her office covered a range of issues affecting technology businesses and consumers, from cybercrime to the need to overhaul the state’s laws regarding … Continue reading “Massachusetts Has “One Foot in the 21st Century, One Foot in the 18th,” Says Attorney General Coakley”

Ariad Shares Boom as Cancer Drug Shows Promise

Ariad Pharmaceuticals, the Cambridge, MA-based developer of cancer drugs, said today that its lead experimental drug is likely to succeed in an ongoing mid-stage trial of the drug as a treatment for breast cancer. Shares of Ariad (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARIA]]) shot up 29 percent, to $3.15 after the news crossed the wire. The Ariad drug, ridaforolimus, … Continue reading “Ariad Shares Boom as Cancer Drug Shows Promise”

FRX Polymers Raises $6M

FRX Polymers, the Chelmsford, MA-based maker of environmentally-friendly flame-resistant plastics, said it has raised $6 million to help commercialize its products. The investors are Israel Cleantech Ventures, and Capricorn Venture Partners. FRX said it has 20 established partnerships with some of the world’s largest plastic makers.

Cerulean Pharma Grabs $10M for Nanoparticle Drugs

[Correction: July 29, 7:15 pm] Cerulean Pharma, the Cambridge, MA-based developer of nanoparticle drugs, said today it has raised $10 million in a Series B round of venture capital. The company raised the money from its existing crew of investors: Polaris Venture Partners, Venrock Associates, Lux Capital, and Bessemer Venture Partners. Part of the cash … Continue reading “Cerulean Pharma Grabs $10M for Nanoparticle Drugs”

Alnylam and Isis’ Offspring, Regulus, Keeps Pushing on Biology’s ‘Bleeding Edge’

Regulus Therapeutics, its CEO admits, is a child of privilege. It was born two years ago with a silver spoon in its mouth—some hot intellectual property to make drugs based on emerging knowledge about microRNA biological networks. It has a couple of parents with wealth and pedigree: Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]), and Carlsbad, … Continue reading “Alnylam and Isis’ Offspring, Regulus, Keeps Pushing on Biology’s ‘Bleeding Edge’”

Cerulean Pharmaceuticals Obtains $10,000,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e90f06a6-12b7-4a0e-941a-265d903b6295&Preview=1 Date 7/28/2009 Company Name Cerulean Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 161 First Street Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Within the field of nanopharmaceuticals, Cerulean Pharma is uniquely focused on a next-generation approach we call Nanobiology. Cerulean’s nanobiology-based drug development is based on a deep understanding of the complex biological microenvironment of human disease … Continue reading “Cerulean Pharmaceuticals Obtains $10,000,000 Series B Funding”

Extreme Reach Secures New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4ee5a145-425b-465c-b01a-faf419b2bbe2&Preview=1 Date 7/28/2009 Company Name Extreme Reach Mailing Address 75 2nd Avenue Needham, MA 02494 Company Description Our video advertising technology platform enables advertisers and agencies to manage, execute and track video campaigns across all video mediums (broadcast, cable, online publishing, mobile, VOD). Unlike other platforms, Extreme Reach provides a single-source solution … Continue reading “Extreme Reach Secures New Round”

IBM Acquires Ounce Labs for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2808a303-b3a7-493e-a92f-918b996c013a&Preview=1 Date 7/28/2009 Company Name Ounce Labs Mailing Address 100 Fifth Avenue Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Ounce Labs delivers actionable metrics to help organizations understand and manage the vulnerabilities in their critical applications. Customers use this information to assess risk and prioritize security investments, to comply with regulatory demands, and to … Continue reading “IBM Acquires Ounce Labs for Undisclosed Sum”

RXI Licenses RNAi Delivery Mode

RXi Pharmaceuticals, the Worcester, MA-based developer of RNA interference drugs, said today it has obtained an exclusive worldwide license to RNAi delivery technologies from Advirna. The technology is supposed to make it easier to deliver RNAi without liposomes, nanoparticles, or other methods that add complexity, RXi said (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RXII]]). Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Phase Forward Acquires Maaguzi

Phase Forward (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PFWD]]), the Waltham, MA-based maker of software used by pharmaceutical companies to manage data collection and analysis during clinical trials, said today that it has acquired Indianapolis, IN-based Maaguzi for $11 million in cash. Maaguzi operates a Web-based service used to collect data reported directly by patients. Phase Forward also reported today … Continue reading “Phase Forward Acquires Maaguzi”

Avila Therapeutics Gets $30M to Push Ahead With Covalent Drugs

Avila Therapeutics, the Waltham, MA-based developer of drugs that create stronger bonds with protein targets on cells, said today it has raised $30 million in a Series B round of venture capital to drive its treatments into human clinical trials. The Novartis Option Fund, a new investor, led the financing, and was followed by Avila’s … Continue reading “Avila Therapeutics Gets $30M to Push Ahead With Covalent Drugs”

Silverlink Makes A Science of Healthcare Communication

When Merck recalled its arthritis drug Vioxx on September 30, 2004, Connecticut-based online pharmacy FamilyMeds wasted no time notifying customers. Within three hours after the recall was announced, an automated telephone system began calling Vioxx users to inform them about the change. But there was a twist—to comply with the federal healthcare privacy law known … Continue reading “Silverlink Makes A Science of Healthcare Communication”

The Fastest Growing Startups in Boston, Seattle, and SoCal

Behind the stubborn economic clouds, there may be a few hints of blue sky. A few companies, in other words, are hiring rather than firing—and a new report from StartUpHire, a Vienna, VA-based job board that specializes in advertising open positions at venture-backed startups, has the lowdown on which ones (see the lists below). As … Continue reading “The Fastest Growing Startups in Boston, Seattle, and SoCal”

Joule Biotechnologies, Developer of Solar Fuel, Launches with Visions of U.S. Energy Independence

Joule Biotechnologies is officially launching today to reveal technology that is designed to mimic photosynthesis to produce liquid fuels and chemicals. The startup says it can produce ethanol at prices competitive with fossil fuels while avoiding some of the pitfalls of making ethanol with corn, switch grass, or other plant materials. The firm says its … Continue reading “Joule Biotechnologies, Developer of Solar Fuel, Launches with Visions of U.S. Energy Independence”

Avila Therapeutics Receives $30,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1f7789ec-f401-4475-858f-73c4271aba5a&Preview=1 Date 7/27/2009 Company Name Avila Therapeutics Mailing Address 100 Beaver Street Waltham, MA 02453 Company Description Avila Therapeutics, Inc., is a venture-backed company focused on the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics to address significant unmet clinical needs with an initial focus on cancer and viral diseases. Website http://www.avilatx.com … Continue reading “Avila Therapeutics Receives $30,000,000 Series B Financing”

Emerging Technologies Conference @MIT

The 2009 Emerging Technologies Conference @MIT will combine discussions about the future of technology with workshops on subjects like how to turn technological developments into profitable companies.  According to the website: “The annual EmTech@MIT conference gives you access to the most innovative labs, companies, and entrepreneurs from around the world and shows you where to … Continue reading “Emerging Technologies Conference @MIT”

MIT Enterprise Forum

The MIT Enterprise Forum will host a start-up clinic with a panel of speakers to talk about how startup companies can best succeed.  To register, visit the website.

Connected Health Symposium

The 2009 Connected Health Symposium will combine keynote addresses and discussion sessions to talk about the future of healthcare.  According to the website: “The Connected Health Symposium asks how information technology — cell phones, computers, the Internet and other tools — can help people manage chronic conditions, maintain health and wellness, and age with independence. … Continue reading “Connected Health Symposium”

2009 Life Sciences & Healthcare Venture Summit

The 2009 Life Sciences & Healthcare Venture Summit brings together representatives from all over the bioscience and biotech spectrum. Speakers will include companies seeking funding, venture capitalists looking for investments and speaking about funding, and networking events. To register, visit the event website

Boston Biotech R&D Conference

The third annual Boston Biotech R&D Conference will be sponsored by Pure Communications and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Speakers will include representatives of research, corporate and venture capital groups from around the world. Register here.

Matrix Closes $600M Investment Fund(s)

Waltham, MA-based Matrix Partners has closed its ninth fund, raising $600 million for investments in software, mobile, consumer internet, communications, and systems startups, according to a press release. While the announcement only mentions one fund, PE Hub reported today, following up on its report earlier this week, that two funds were actually raised—the main Matrix … Continue reading “Matrix Closes $600M Investment Fund(s)”

Project Tuva or Bust: How Microsoft’s Spin on Feynman Could Change the Way We Learn

“I don’t know what’s the matter with people: they don’t learn by understanding, they learn by some other way—by rote or something,” physicist Richard Feynman once said. “Their knowledge is so fragile!” Maybe Feynman’s brain was big enough to simply “learn by understanding”—sucking in and comprehending complex realities in a single glance. But what I … Continue reading “Project Tuva or Bust: How Microsoft’s Spin on Feynman Could Change the Way We Learn”

$8M More for Acquia, Novartis-Alnylam Collaboration Continues, Virtualization Firm Akiba Acquires $6.53M, & More Boston-Area Deals News

I’ve got a nice variety of deals—particularly venture financings—to tell you about this week. —Swiss drug giant Novartis opted to extend a collaboration with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALNY]]) of Cambridge, MA, for a fifth year. Under the extension, Novartis will continue to fund certain RNA interference research and development efforts at Alnylam through October 2010. —Software … Continue reading “$8M More for Acquia, Novartis-Alnylam Collaboration Continues, Virtualization Firm Akiba Acquires $6.53M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

Archemix Signs MicroRNA Deal

Cambridge, MA-based Archemix, the developer of a new class of drug called aptamers, said today it has formed an R&D collaboration with Boulder, CO-based miRagen Therapeutics, a developer of microRNA treatments. The two companies will plan to attach aptamer drugs to microRNA molecules with a goal of delivering the compounds inside cells. Both companies will … Continue reading “Archemix Signs MicroRNA Deal”

Amazon’s Acquisition of Zappos Is “A Good Thing for Kiva,” Says Robot Company’s CEO

Much of the buzz about Amazon’s surprise announcement yesterday that it is acquiring popular online shoe retailer Zappos for more than $900 million is about whether the Las Vegas-based company really needed to sell, or was pressured to do so by its main venture backer, Sequoia Capital. But the first thing I wondered when I … Continue reading “Amazon’s Acquisition of Zappos Is “A Good Thing for Kiva,” Says Robot Company’s CEO”

The Big Idea at Acme Packet: Smoothing the Way for Voice and Video on the Internet

You’re an unfunded early-stage startup and your sole venture backer sends you a check for millions of dollars. Unfortunately, it’s made out to the wrong company name, so you can’t deposit it. What do you do? You change your name, of course. That’s how Primary Networks became Acme Packet. The Burlington, MA, maker of Internet … Continue reading “The Big Idea at Acme Packet: Smoothing the Way for Voice and Video on the Internet”

What’s an Entrepreneur To Do? Amidst Mixed Signals for Economic Recovery, Four Experts Share Strategies for Startup and Business Success

The economic climate these days reminds me of the famous line about the weather at the “Crosby Clambake” golf tournament (now the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) held each February on California’s Monterey peninsula, in unpredictable conditions that shift quickly from sun to cold and rain: “There’s plenty of it.” So it seemed a good … Continue reading “What’s an Entrepreneur To Do? Amidst Mixed Signals for Economic Recovery, Four Experts Share Strategies for Startup and Business Success”

Augmenix Garners $4,700,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0ac23d83-8ee1-42f2-b733-85259025217e&Preview=1 Date 7/23/2009 Company Name Augmenix Mailing Address 204 2nd Avenue Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Augmenix™, Inc. is a privately held medical device company developing in-situ formed, space-filling hydrogels specifically for radiation oncology and cancer surgery indications. Augmenix, Inc.’s initial product will be the first synthetic tissue spacer designed and indicated … Continue reading “Augmenix Garners $4,700,000 New Financing Round”

CitySquares Online Lands $322,500 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=249e9f31-5b9b-446e-b26c-fb67463cd10c&Preview=1 Date 7/23/2009 Company Name CitySquares Online Mailing Address 580 Harrison Ave, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02118 Company Description We are most certainly, first and foremost, and undoubtedly about local businesses and local communities. We’re about your neighborhood, and where you get your hair cut, meet your friends for coffee, have a … Continue reading “CitySquares Online Lands $322,500 New Funding”

Cleantech Forum Boston

Subtitled “The Second Cleantech Investment Boom,” this is the 13th edition of the major conference sponsored by the Cleantech Group in San Francisco. From the conference website: “The first cleantech investment boom (2001-2008) was driven by rapid growth and experimentation. A second cleantech investment boom is being driven by a new emphasis on capital efficiency, … Continue reading “Cleantech Forum Boston”

Genzyme Cleans Up Allston Factory

Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]), the Cambridge, MA-based maker of drugs for rare genetic diseases, said today it has finished sanitizing its biotech drugmaking plant in Allston, MA and is on schedule to re-start production there this month. Last month, the company spotted a viral contaminant that forced it to halt production. The company is now preparing … Continue reading “Genzyme Cleans Up Allston Factory”

Startup School: The Xconomy Guide to Venture Incubators, 2009 Edition

Technology entrepreneurship can be a lonely road. Not only do you have to convince a few friends or colleagues to work hundred-hour weeks for the next several years in support of your wild idea, but you’ve got to make it past the elevator pitch with at least one funder, and then prove that your idea … Continue reading “Startup School: The Xconomy Guide to Venture Incubators, 2009 Edition”