It’s been almost a year since Boston-based American Well unveiled its online healthcare marketplace, a system designed to allow health plan members to connect with doctors or other medical providers live over the Web without having to visit an office or clinic. It’s an idea that could simplify healthcare access and reduce costs for both … Continue reading “American Well Teams with Minnesota Firm to Offer Online Medical Consultations Directly to Consumers”
Category: Boston
Now, a Mac Version of Zinc Video Browser from ZeeVee
Boxee, the popular Internet video browser program for Macintosh computers, has some new competition. Today Littleton, MA-based ZeeVee is releasing the Mac version of its Zinc video browser, which gives owners of desktop or laptop computers an easy-to-use interface for locating and watching TV programming on the Internet. The free software, downloadable at www.zeevee.com/zinc, is … Continue reading “Now, a Mac Version of Zinc Video Browser from ZeeVee”
A Salute to Henry Jenkins: The End of an Era at MIT
The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge hosts an salute to renowned MIT professor and media studies expert Henry Jenkins, who is leaving MIT this summer for a position at the University of Southern California. From the event description: “For more than 16 years, Henry Jenkins has graced the halls of MIT and shaped the New … Continue reading “A Salute to Henry Jenkins: The End of an Era at MIT”
GSK Cuts Deal with Concert to the Tune of a Potential $1B, Celldex Inks $94.5M CuraGen Acquisition, Aveo Touts Kidney Cancer Drug Data, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
Many of New England’s drug developers were down in Florida this week for the big annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Here’s what they had to report, as well as the news from the firms that didn’t make the trek south. —Ryan profiled the efforts of Alnara Pharmaceuticals to develop an enzyme-replacement … Continue reading “GSK Cuts Deal with Concert to the Tune of a Potential $1B, Celldex Inks $94.5M CuraGen Acquisition, Aveo Touts Kidney Cancer Drug Data, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Biogen Idec Showdown with Carl Icahn Culminates in Shareholder Vote Today
Shareholders of Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) will have their say today on whether or not they want billionaire investor Carl Icahn’s nominees to shake things up in the boardroom. The votes will be tallied at the company’s annual meeting being held at 9 am Eastern time today at the American Academy of Arts … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Showdown with Carl Icahn Culminates in Shareholder Vote Today”
Turning the iPhone Into a Universal Remote, ThinkFlood Shows Off New Gadget
The great thing about the Apple iPhone is that it’s a powerful miniature computer, with a screen that can be retasked to look like almost anything and do almost any job—it can switch in a moment from being a scientific calculator to simulating an airplane cockpit ti acting like the slide of a trombone. One … Continue reading “Turning the iPhone Into a Universal Remote, ThinkFlood Shows Off New Gadget”
Amylin Founder Ted Greene, In Exclusive Interview, Upbeat About Outcome of Proxy Battle
San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals has witnessed an extraordinary struggle for control of its board of directors in which a key turning point came when founding CEO Howard “Ted” Greene publicly switched sides and urged shareholders to vote for the dissidents’ nominees. So what does Greene have to say about the results of the shareholder vote … Continue reading “Amylin Founder Ted Greene, In Exclusive Interview, Upbeat About Outcome of Proxy Battle”
Greenfuel Selling Off Assets
Greenfuel Technologies, the Cambridge, MA, biofuels startup that closed its doors last month after running out of venture cash, is trying to scrape together some money for its creditors and investors through a sale of intellectual property and other assets. In a post on its website today, the company said it’s entertaining offers for its … Continue reading “Greenfuel Selling Off Assets”
Cluetrain at 10: So How’s Utopia Working Out for Ya?
The Berkman Center for Internet and Society hosts an event looking back at the Cluetrain Manifesto, 10 years after its publication. From the event description: “The Cluetrain Manifesto, posted in April, 1999, immediately became a touchstone in the digital culture wars. Its four authors – Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger – … Continue reading “Cluetrain at 10: So How’s Utopia Working Out for Ya?”
The Health 2.0 Hub, Boston’s Secret Entertainment Cluster, A Path to Market for Energy Innovations, Dean Kamen, and more XSITEment
There are three weeks and one day to go before XSITE—the Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, which we are holding at Boston University on June 24—and we are pumped. We are finalizing the agenda, and have added a host of fantastic new speakers, including inventor extraordinaire Dean Kamen. We’re also putting the finishing … Continue reading “The Health 2.0 Hub, Boston’s Secret Entertainment Cluster, A Path to Market for Energy Innovations, Dean Kamen, and more XSITEment”
Concert Pharma Jamming with Glaxo in Deal with $1B-Plus Potential
Concert Pharmaceuticals has hooked a whale in the drug industry, London-based GlaxoSmithKline, for its first corporate partnership deal concerning the biotech startup’s deuterium-modified drugs. Lexington, MA-based Concert reports today it will receive $35 million from Glaxo (NYSE:[[ticker:GSK]]) in upfront payments and equity investments in the deal, which could be worth more than $1 billion to … Continue reading “Concert Pharma Jamming with Glaxo in Deal with $1B-Plus Potential”
Clinical Data Touts Antidepressant Trial Data
Newton, MA-based Clinical Data (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CLDA]]), announced positive results from the second Phase III trial of its antidepressant, vilazodone. In a study of 481 patients, the drug reduced depression symptoms, was well tolerated, and did not seem to result in sexual side effects; the results were similar to those from the first Phase III trial, which … Continue reading “Clinical Data Touts Antidepressant Trial Data”
Polatis Raises $8 Million
Polatis, a startup that makes optical switches from its bases in Andover, MA, and Cambridge, England, said today that it has obtained $8 million in new venture funding from existing investors 3i Ventures, Alta-Berkeley Ventures, DFJ Esprit, Flagship Ventures, Gainesborough & Peponi Investments, JK&B Partners, and the Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation. CEO Gerald Wesel said … Continue reading “Polatis Raises $8 Million”
Of Venture Socialism and the Future of VCs—The Story of Jo Tango and Kepha Partners
This is a story of a different breed of venture capital firm—one so different it practices venture socialism. At least that’s how the founder of Waltham, MA-based Kepha Partners, Josaphat “Jo” Tango, describes it. (Before all you entrepreneurs beat a path to his door thinking he shares more of the wealth back with you, let’s … Continue reading “Of Venture Socialism and the Future of VCs—The Story of Jo Tango and Kepha Partners”
Backing Vision Tech Startup Avedro, VCs Take Long View on Eye Surgery Market
It’s not an ideal time to be in the business of providing vision-correction surgeries such as Lasik, as demand for these mostly elective procedures has fallen in sync with the overall economy. But the consensus at Waltham, MA-based Avedro appears to be that it’s a great time to be developing the next generation of vision-correction … Continue reading “Backing Vision Tech Startup Avedro, VCs Take Long View on Eye Surgery Market”
The Long Game
Old places can accomplish new things. Boston and Tokyo are both about 400 years old. Yet we’re different when it comes to planning for the future. Not long ago, Tokyo finished building a new island in its harbor, and a new city on that island, complete with a subway system that runs without human intervention. … Continue reading “The Long Game”
The Next Chapter for E Ink: Talking with CEO Russ Wilcox About Yesterday’s Acquisition News
Eight venture rounds—it’s got to be some kind of record. Yet that’s how many times 12-year-old E Ink went back to investors, raising some $150 million, before it finally arranged an exit scenario for its backers. The Cambridge, MA, company, which makes the e-paper displays used in the red-hot Amazon Kindle e-book reader, announced yesterday … Continue reading “The Next Chapter for E Ink: Talking with CEO Russ Wilcox About Yesterday’s Acquisition News”
Polatis, Inc Secures $8,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=41352004-e7ba-4d8e-ad5d-7d537d11bd68&Preview=1 Date 6/2/2009 Company Name Polatis, Inc Mailing Address One Tech Drive Andover, MA 01810 Company Description Polatis has set the benchmark in ultra-low loss optical switching. Its patented direct optical beam steering technology is powering the creation of highly reliable and compact photonic switching solutions. Website http://www.polatis.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Polatis, Inc Secures $8,000,000 New Funding Round”
EMC Launches $1.8 Billion Takeover Bid to Wrestle Data Domain Away from Competitor
Hopkinton, MA-based data storage giant EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]), attempted today to derail competitor NetApp‘s proposed acquisition of Data Domain, by launching its own higher-priced bid for the Santa Clara, CA-based data deduplication company. In an announcement after the close of the markets this afternoon, EMC said that it has offered to acquire all of Data … Continue reading “EMC Launches $1.8 Billion Takeover Bid to Wrestle Data Domain Away from Competitor”
Innovative Spinal Technologies Files for Bankruptcy, Says Human Cadaver Assets (Literally) Frozen
[[Updated: see editor’s note below.]] Innovative Spinal Technologies, the Mansfield, MA, maker of minimally invasive spinal repair devices, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection after running out of cash and shutting its doors earlier this year. VentureWire published the news this morning. Sources told Xconomy that the bankruptcy was in the works after Wade … Continue reading “Innovative Spinal Technologies Files for Bankruptcy, Says Human Cadaver Assets (Literally) Frozen”
RxVantage Raises $500K from Slater Fund
Providence, RI-based RxVantage, a provider of Web-based scheduling software for healthcare companies and doctors’ offices, has reeled in a $500,000 seed investment from Providence venture firm Slater Technology Fund, according to a press release. RxVantage has recently launched a new version of its Web-based software, which enables medical practices to put their schedules and product … Continue reading “RxVantage Raises $500K from Slater Fund”
Taiwanese Display Maker Buys Cambridge’s E Ink for $215 Million
[Updated 9:45 a.m. June 1, 2009 with details from this morning’s press conference.] Cambridge, MA-based E Ink, the company that makes the electronic paper display used in Amazon’s Kindle e-book reading devices as well as e-book devices from Sony and other companies, will be purchased by Hsinchu, Taiwan-based display manufacturer Prime View International for $215 … Continue reading “Taiwanese Display Maker Buys Cambridge’s E Ink for $215 Million”
ASCO Weekend Highlights: ImmunoGen, Antigenics, Aveo Show Off Cancer Drug Findings
There were hundreds of companies vying for the attention of 30,000 cancer specialists the past couple days at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Orlando, FL. Here’s a quick recap of highlights from New England companies that have presented data so far. The conference continues today and tomorrow. —ImmunoGen: The Waltham, MA-based biotech … Continue reading “ASCO Weekend Highlights: ImmunoGen, Antigenics, Aveo Show Off Cancer Drug Findings”
Infinity Sees Comeback Potential for Cancer Drug that Failed
Infinity Pharmaceuticals isn’t ready to pull the plug on its lead cancer drug candidate after it failed last month in a clinical trial. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:INFI]]) says it sees a way forward with the drug, IPI-504, as long as it switches to a lower dose, and by giving it to patients … Continue reading “Infinity Sees Comeback Potential for Cancer Drug that Failed”
Boston-Power Asks Feds for $100 Million to Build Better Batteries for Electric Vehicles; Filene’s Basement Warehouse Could Be Reborn as 600-Employee Factory
The coming generation of electric and hybrid gas-electric vehicles will need safer, longer-lasting, faster-charging batteries. Boston-Power—the Westborough, MA-based known up to now mainly for its “green” lithium-ion laptop batteries—wants to supply them, and it’s pursuing federal stimulus money to fuel its bid. At a planned media event today featuring Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, the company … Continue reading “Boston-Power Asks Feds for $100 Million to Build Better Batteries for Electric Vehicles; Filene’s Basement Warehouse Could Be Reborn as 600-Employee Factory”
RxVantage Obtains $500,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7e0ebc44-4e67-4a69-a90e-9ee55edaa903&Preview=1 Date 6/1/2009 Company Name RxVantage Mailing Address Undisclosed Providence, RI 02918 Company Description RxVantage was founded on the premise that the exchange of knowledge and information between medical & pharmaceutical companies and health care providers is essential for patient care. By bringing much needed efficiency to the systems of information exchange, … Continue reading “RxVantage Obtains $500,000 New Financing”
Antigenics, Digging Through Old Data, Sees Survival Edge for Cancer Vaccine
Some biostatisticians may scoff, but Antigenics is not giving up on its treatment to stimulate the immune system to fight cancer. The Lexington, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AGEN]]) has found that nine years after its most important clinical trial began, its experimental drug appears to be helping certain kidney cancer patients live longer. The data … Continue reading “Antigenics, Digging Through Old Data, Sees Survival Edge for Cancer Vaccine”
Aveo Kidney Cancer Drug, Challenging Pfizer and Bayer, Passes Important Test
Cambridge, MA-based Aveo Pharmaceuticals is releasing important data today that suggests it may by on its way to developing a better way to cut off blood supply to tumors. An experimental drug from Aveo was able to at least partially shrink tumors for one-fourth of patients, and keep the cancer from spreading for a median … Continue reading “Aveo Kidney Cancer Drug, Challenging Pfizer and Bayer, Passes Important Test”
Cape Cod Wind Farm Nears Final Approval
Soon, you really won’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing in Massachusetts (or one part of the state, anyway)—all you’ll have to do is look for the spinning turbines in Nantucket Sound. Last week, the state’s Energy Facilities Siting Board voted unanimously to grant Cape Wind Associates all necessary state … Continue reading “Cape Cod Wind Farm Nears Final Approval”
RunMyErrand Wins a Trip to Facebookland
Yesterday social networking giant Facebook unveiled the winners of its first fbFund Rev competition, a contest to pick 20 organizations building Facebook-related social media applications for a 10-week company-building incubator program at the company’s Palo Alto, CA, offices. Among the winners was RunMyErrand, a Charlestown, MA-based startup we profiled in February. RunMyErrand.com is a “service … Continue reading “RunMyErrand Wins a Trip to Facebookland”
38 Studios Snaps Up Big Huge Games, EMC Buy Configuresoft, Proteon Therapeutics Picks up $12M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Evidently the word of the week for many New England’s tech firms was acquisition. —Digital Lumens of Salem, MA, raised $6.3 million in a round of equity financing. The startup, whose investors were not named in the filing, aims to make lighting products that use only 10 percent as much energy as other products. —Natick, … Continue reading “38 Studios Snaps Up Big Huge Games, EMC Buy Configuresoft, Proteon Therapeutics Picks up $12M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
EMC Scouring Boston Today for Bone Marrow Donor for Asian-American Employee
Hopkinton, MA-based EMC is throwing its weight behind a massive social media campaign to find a bone marrow donor for one of its employees, 28-year-old Nick Glasgow. The “donor drive” arrived in the Boston area today with events at EMC locations in Cambridge, MA, and Franklin, MA, where potential donors can visit to see whether … Continue reading “EMC Scouring Boston Today for Bone Marrow Donor for Asian-American Employee”
VC Hjerpe Takes Post at Kepha Partners
Venture capitalist Eric Hjerpe has become a partner at Kepha Partners in Waltham, MA, according to the VC firm. He was previously a partner and venture partner in the Waltham office of Atlas Venture, where he worked with Atlas portfolio companies such as Active Endpoints, a business process managment software firm headquartered in Waltham, and … Continue reading “VC Hjerpe Takes Post at Kepha Partners”
Celldex to Buy CuraGen for $94.5M
Celldex Therapeutics (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CLDX]]), a Needham, MA-based developer of drugs that harness the power of the immune system to treat diseases, says that it has struck a deal to acquire CuraGen (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CRGN]]), of Branford, CT, in an all-stock transaction that values CuraGen at $94.5 million. Celldex expects to gain 11 cancer antibody drugs from CuraGen as … Continue reading “Celldex to Buy CuraGen for $94.5M”
Notes On A Startup: WebNotes Goes Pro
When Ryan Damico was an undergraduate at MIT, he attended a training session at the university’s library. Ostensibly, the students were being taught how to properly organize sources for research papers. But it turned out to be a session on how to copy blocks of text from websites and paste them into Word documents, and … Continue reading “Notes On A Startup: WebNotes Goes Pro”
Diamonds Are Forever. Why Not a Drug Patent?
Tell me if this makes sense to you: —If I buy a diamond, I can own it for as long as I like; —If I produce a brand name for a product, provided that I trademark it, I can own it for as long as I would like, until and unless it becomes “generic” (like … Continue reading “Diamonds Are Forever. Why Not a Drug Patent?”
Will Quick Hit Score Big? Behind the Scenes with Foxborough’s Newest Team
There’s a company in Foxborough, MA, not two miles away from the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium, where a crew of veteran online game developers is putting the finishing touches on a potentially groundbreaking new game about football. Now, I can tell you all about why the venture-funded startup, Quick Hit, is likely to dazzle … Continue reading “Will Quick Hit Score Big? Behind the Scenes with Foxborough’s Newest Team”
Proteon Adds $12M To B Round
Waltham, MA-based Proteon Therapeutics, which specializes in drug development for kidney and vascular diseases, announced today that it has completed a second closing for its Series B equity financing round. $12 million primarily came from new investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Devon Park Bioventures, raising the total for the round to $50 million. Vectis Healthcare … Continue reading “Proteon Adds $12M To B Round”
EMC to Buy Configuresoft, Builds on Growth Strategy
EMC (NYSE:[[ticker:EMC]]) is upping its presence in the market for software to manage both physical and virtual servers in data centers, revealing yesterday that it plans to acquire existing partner Configuresoft for an undisclosed amount. Hopkinton, MA-based EMC says the buyout further advances its strategy to offer software for managing and servicing the computer servers … Continue reading “EMC to Buy Configuresoft, Builds on Growth Strategy”
SiCortex, Out of Cash, Powers Down
SiCortex, a six-year-old startup building energy-efficient supercomputers in Maynard, MA, has shut its doors. The company ran out of working capital and was unable to raise more from its venture investors, according to a report that surfaced yesterday in HPC Wire, a trade publication in the high-performance computing industry. Xconomy obtained confirmation of the shutdown … Continue reading “SiCortex, Out of Cash, Powers Down”
Alnara Pharma Completes Key Cystic Fibrosis Drug Trial, “Extremely Encouraged” by Results
Alnara Pharmaceuticals won’t likely reveal the full results of its late-stage clinical trial of enzyme-replacement drug liprotamase in patients with cystic fibrosis until this fall, but the Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm has completed the trial in recent weeks and continues to find the effectiveness of the treatment “extremely encouraging,” Robert Gallotto, chief business office of … Continue reading “Alnara Pharma Completes Key Cystic Fibrosis Drug Trial, “Extremely Encouraged” by Results”
Genentech Veteran Takes Agios’ Helm, E8 and MIT Take on Navigenics, Genzyme’s Mipomersen Takes Next Step, Alnylam Takes Advantage of Tekmira Technology, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
New England’s life sciences firms reported a lot of encouraging clinical-trials news this week. —A cholesterol-lowering drug developed by Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]) and Carlsbad, CA-based Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]) reached its goals in a pivotal clinical trial. Genzyme intends to apply for approval of the drug, called mipomersen, first in a small population … Continue reading “Genentech Veteran Takes Agios’ Helm, E8 and MIT Take on Navigenics, Genzyme’s Mipomersen Takes Next Step, Alnylam Takes Advantage of Tekmira Technology, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Proteon Therapeutics Inc. Garners $12,000,000 Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a4ec505d-bc5c-41ea-9428-3e30cb470441&Preview=1 Date 5/28/2009 Company Name Proteon Therapeutics Inc. Mailing Address 200 West Street Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Proteon Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company developing PRT-201, a novel human recombinant protein that permanently dilates segments of blood vessels, blocks vasospasm, and reduces the formation of vascular scarring. Website http://www.proteontherapeutics.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Proteon Therapeutics Inc. Garners $12,000,000 Series B Financing Round”
The Future of Software and Internet UnConference
Will any of us still be using Twitter in 10 years? Ponder this question with other software industry wonks at the spring meeting of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council. This “unconference,” more of a participant-driven dialogue than a structured forum, will focus on where trends in software might lead in the next decade. Cloud computing, … Continue reading “The Future of Software and Internet UnConference”
Honoring Catalysts For Girls’ Science Education
In the 1960s, there weren’t many role models a little black girl interested in science could relate to. As a child, Evelynn Hammonds, who would become the first black female Dean of Harvard College, looked up to the Lt. Uhura character from Star Trek. Today’s generation, said the dean, will have slightly more realistic women … Continue reading “Honoring Catalysts For Girls’ Science Education”
Scenic Technology Raises $1.4M
Needham, MA-based Scenic Technology has raised $1.4 million in new funding out of a planned $2.1 equity round, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company makes Microsoft .NET-based software for tracking barcodes and RFID tags on items moving through warehouses.
Crosscheck Acquires Forum Systems
Crosscheck Networks of Waltham, MA, said today that it has acquired Forum Systems, also of Waltham. Crosscheck makes a simulation environment that allows software companies to test Web-based applications before they’re deployed; Forum Systems makes a gateway appliance that provides security and authentication services for Web-based software. As a result of the acquisition (the financial … Continue reading “Crosscheck Acquires Forum Systems”
Big Huge Acquisition for 38 Studios Will Boost Its Copernicus Project
38 Studios, the Maynard, MA-based video game company founded by Boston Red Sox star Curt Schilling, has filled a gap in its lineup. The company said today that it has nearly doubled its size by acquiring Big Huge Games, a Maryland-based company that’s behind such role-playing and strategy games as Rise of Nations and Age … Continue reading “Big Huge Acquisition for 38 Studios Will Boost Its Copernicus Project”
CombinatoRx Diabetes Drug Shows Promise
CombinatoRx (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CRXX]]) reports that its Type 2 diabetes treatment, a combination of bezafibrate and diflunisal, provided statistically significant reduction in blood sugar levels and other benefits in a mid-stage clinical trial. It’s a bit of good news for Cambridge, MA-based CombinatoRx after it revealed last October that its lead arthritis drug failed in a Phase … Continue reading “CombinatoRx Diabetes Drug Shows Promise”
Celtra Celebrates $1.2M Series A
Celtra, a Cambridge, MA-based provider of mobile marketing software, says it has raised $1.2 million in a Series A round of financing from Slovenian venture firm RSG Capital. The startup plans to open an R&D and sales office in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to serve as its European hub. The financing is expected to support the startup … Continue reading “Celtra Celebrates $1.2M Series A”