Burlington, MA-based iRobot (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IRBT]]) announced today that it has received a $3.3 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Army Research Office to develop a soft, pliable robot that can “maneuver through openings smaller than its actual structural dimensions” to perform reconnaissance and urban search and rescue operations. IRobot … Continue reading “IRobot Wins $3.3M ChemBot Contract”
Category: Boston
IRobot Dives into Underwater Robotics, American Superconductor Inks a Supersized Wind Power Deal, BCBSMA Insures Members’ Google Health, & More Deals News
Deal-making took New England tech firms all over the map last week. Let’s start with Beijing. —Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AKAM]]) of Cambridge, MA, announced it will partner with New York’s The NewsMarket to provide journalists covering the Beijing Olympics with quick and reliable video-clip downloads. —And speaking of Beijing, a firm there, Sinovel Wind Corporation, … Continue reading “IRobot Dives into Underwater Robotics, American Superconductor Inks a Supersized Wind Power Deal, BCBSMA Insures Members’ Google Health, & More Deals News”
Cox Hires Quattro Wireless to Mobilize Newspaper Websites
Quattro Wireless, the Waltham, MA, mobile-marketing company we profiled last September after it completed a $12.3 million Series B funding round, revealed today that Cox Newspapers is using its automated platform to produce mobile-friendly versions of 19 regional Cox papers, including the Austin Statesman, the Palm Beach Post, the Dayton Daily News, and the Waco … Continue reading “Cox Hires Quattro Wireless to Mobilize Newspaper Websites”
Demandware Scoops Up N2N’s Assets
Woburn, MA-based Demandware, which offers an on-demand e-commerce platform for online retailers, has acquired all of the remaining assets of N2N, a competing e-commerce startup formerly based in Cambridge, MA, that shut down at the end of 2007 after raising $30 million in venture funding from General Catalyst Partners and other investors. Demandware won the … Continue reading “Demandware Scoops Up N2N’s Assets”
WMUR, WJAR Test Interactive TV System from Backchannelmedia
Backchannelmedia, the Boston interactive-TV startup we profiled in November 2007 and again this April, said today that it’s signed up two new partners to test its system for bookmarking web addresses promoted on live TV. Rhode Island NBC affiliate WJAR-TV and and Manchester, NH ABC affiliate WMUR-TV will both insert signals into their over-the-air broadcasts … Continue reading “WMUR, WJAR Test Interactive TV System from Backchannelmedia”
Gov. Patrick Travels West to Plug Massachusetts’ Life Sciences Initiative At BIO
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick stole the show at last year’s gathering of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. In front of a crowd of 20,000 global biotechies meeting on home turf in Boston, he broke news that he planned to invest $1 billion over 10 years to strengthen the state’s position as a leading hub for life … Continue reading “Gov. Patrick Travels West to Plug Massachusetts’ Life Sciences Initiative At BIO”
Acceleron Doubles Lab Space, Ramps Up Hiring
Last October Acceleron Pharmaceuticals of Cambridge, MA, said it had completed a $31 million Series C funding round, bringing the bone-and-muscle-growth company’s total venture funding to an impressive $86 million over three rounds. Now we know what the company’s been spending the money on: Acceleron announced today that it’s increased head count by 40 percent … Continue reading “Acceleron Doubles Lab Space, Ramps Up Hiring”
Xconomy Launches in Seattle
Good morning Boston. Good morning Seattle. And good morning world. Today marks the public debut of the Xconomy network, as we launch both a Seattle website that will serve as a sister to our original Boston/Kendall Square site and a national overview site designed to be a gateway to both cities. (This means some changes … Continue reading “Xconomy Launches in Seattle”
Combating the “CSI Effect”: Boston’s Salient Stills Extracts Evidence from Grainy Surveillance Video
Generally, I’m a big fan of the CSI shows (CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, and of course, the original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), because the heroes are scientists. Who would have expected a trio of dramas about a bunch of wonky forensics experts to stay atop the ratings for years? But I do have a pet … Continue reading “Combating the “CSI Effect”: Boston’s Salient Stills Extracts Evidence from Grainy Surveillance Video”
Cleantech Down and Dirty (Part One)
I feel the need to start off with a disclaimer, because when you start pouring A-1 sauce on sacred cows people tend to get a wee bit irrational. Let me state for the record that I do indeed believe that global warming is a real threat. I also think that our over dependence on foreign … Continue reading “Cleantech Down and Dirty (Part One)”
Varolii Shelves IPO: Seattle Software Maker Founded by MIT Grads Has Boston Operations… and Shareholders
Seattle software maker Varolii, which makes tools that help businesses communicate over multiple channels—voice, SMS, Web, fax, pager, e-mail—said on Friday it would not proceed with its IPO plans “due to the difficult market conditions for initial public offerings.” The offering, which was expected to raise up to $86 million, affects both Seattle and the … Continue reading “Varolii Shelves IPO: Seattle Software Maker Founded by MIT Grads Has Boston Operations… and Shareholders”
JazzD Markets Inc. Garners $8,000,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ddbcaeb7-35cb-42ce-a37c-9568b02d0575&Preview=1 Date 6/16/2008 Company Name JazzD Markets Inc. Mailing Address Undisclosed Brookline, MA 02440 Company Description The company is developing an online directory. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $8,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Commonwealth Capital Ventures Venture Investor … Continue reading “JazzD Markets Inc. Garners $8,000,000 Series A Round”
MA Senate Passes Bio Bill
The Massachusetts Senate passed a bill that would funnel $1 billion over 10 years into support for life sciences in the state. The bill, which passed by a 31-7 vote, now goes to the desk of Governor Deval Patrick, who is expected to sign it into law on Monday before heading to San Diego to … Continue reading “MA Senate Passes Bio Bill”
Report Promises Multi-Billion-Dollar Future for New England Clean Energy Cluster
In four years’ time, New England can get $1 billion more in new cleantech investments, claims a report from the New England Clean Energy Council and the consulting firm Topline Strategy. There’s one catch, though. In order to lure the investors, the region has to create a cluster of cleantech companies along the lines of … Continue reading “Report Promises Multi-Billion-Dollar Future for New England Clean Energy Cluster”
Parexel To Purchase ClinPhone for $182M
Parexel International (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PRXL]]), based in Waltham, MA, announced today that it will acquire ClinPhone, a U.K.-based firm that provides voice response and electronic data capture for drug companies, for some $182 million. Parexel, which does clinical research and consulting for the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, has arranged a $300 million credit facility with JPMorgan … Continue reading “Parexel To Purchase ClinPhone for $182M”
Monotype Will Raise $60 Million in Secondary Offering
Monotype Imaging (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TYPE]]), the Woburn, MA-based maker of electronic fonts and text imaging software that went public last summer, announced last night that it’s planning a secondary public offering of 5 million shares of its common stock at $12.00 per share. The 170-employee company, the creator of famous fonts such as Times New Roman … Continue reading “Monotype Will Raise $60 Million in Secondary Offering”
As iRobot and University of Washington Team Up, Robotic-Sub Competition Heats Up
This week, iRobot made a splash with the news that it has signed a sole licensing agreement with the University of Washington in Seattle to commercialize UW’s “Seaglider” underwater robot. The specific terms of the deal with UW TechTransfer were not disclosed, but the announcement marks the Bedford, MA-based robotics company’s first foray into the … Continue reading “As iRobot and University of Washington Team Up, Robotic-Sub Competition Heats Up”
You Say Staccato, I Say Sfumato: A Reply to Nicholas Carr
One of my prized possessions is an enormous book called Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Drawings and Paintings. You know how a lot of old art or history books have a few glossy color plates bound into the center? Well, this book has 695 of them, each one measuring about 12×18 inches, and together they … Continue reading “You Say Staccato, I Say Sfumato: A Reply to Nicholas Carr”
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Is First Insurance Company To Partner with Google Health
The face of online health care is changing in Massachusetts—and probably for the better. Today one of the state’s leading health insurance companies, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), announced that it has signed an agreement to integrate with the Google Health platform. It is the first health insurance company to do so. Google … Continue reading “Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Is First Insurance Company To Partner with Google Health”
Biogen Directors Win Backing From Third Advisory Firm, Icahn Could Be Heading For Defeat
Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) pulled off a trifecta today as the third major advisory firm for corporate elections, Proxy Governance, recommended shareholders vote in favor of the biotech’s own slate of directors instead of those nominated by activist investor Carl Icahn. Earlier in the week, RiskMetrics Group/ISS Governance Services and Glass, Lewis & Co. also … Continue reading “Biogen Directors Win Backing From Third Advisory Firm, Icahn Could Be Heading For Defeat”
Delve Networks Un-Pluggd; Startup Relaunched as Video Search Provider, To Compete With Cambridge Companies
Seattle-based audio and video search company Pluggd rebranded itself yesterday as Delve Networks and launched a video hosting and search technology that seems designed to compete directly with services from Cambridge, MA-based EveryZing. The development’s bicoastal impact was particularly interesting to us, given Xconomy’s impending expansion to Seattle (for more on that, watch this space … Continue reading “Delve Networks Un-Pluggd; Startup Relaunched as Video Search Provider, To Compete With Cambridge Companies”
Vertex Moves Hepatitis Drug Forward, Merrimack Rakes in $60M, Biogen and Icahn Trade Barbs, & More Life Sciences News
Much of the week’s life sciences news was dominated by the bickering of Biogen Idec and billionaire investor Carl Icahn. A few other interesting things happened, though. Those first: —Merrimack Pharmaceuticals of Cambridge, MA, revealed it had raised a tidy $60 million in a Series F round from Credit Suisse First Boston Next Fund, Crocker … Continue reading “Vertex Moves Hepatitis Drug Forward, Merrimack Rakes in $60M, Biogen and Icahn Trade Barbs, & More Life Sciences News”
Man on a Cleantech Mission: A VC Visits the U.K. (Days Three and Four)
London, Cambridge, and Manchester: Tuesday and Wednesday, June 10-11 * I am a day behind, so two days in one entry. We spent Tuesday morning at Imperial College London, then took an hour train ride to Cambridge for an evening event at St. Catherine’s College (one of 39 colleges at Cambridge). Wednesday, we were in … Continue reading “Man on a Cleantech Mission: A VC Visits the U.K. (Days Three and Four)”
Codon Devices “Streamlines” Operation, To Focus on Synthetic Biology
Codon Devices is switching strategic gears. The privately held Cambridge, MA-based company, which makes genes for large drugmakers running experiments, said today in a statement that it has “streamlined” its operation to put more of its resources into product development partnerships for its synthetic biology program, which engineers new biological products with potential to do … Continue reading “Codon Devices “Streamlines” Operation, To Focus on Synthetic Biology”
$60 Million More for Merrimack Pharma
As if we needed more validation of the local biotech scene, Cambridge, MA-based Merrimack Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has raised $60 million in a Series F round of private equity financing. This latest round follows a $65 million Series E financing announced in April 2006. The investors in today’s round include Credit Suisse First … Continue reading “$60 Million More for Merrimack Pharma”
Headhunter’s Weapon Snares $26 Million
If you’re both profitable and growing at a rate of 400 percent for three years in a row, do you still need outside financing? Yes, says Arthur Papas, CEO and co-founder of Bullhorn, a developer of software for the recruiting and staffing industry. The Boston-based company just raised $26 million in new financing, in a … Continue reading “Headhunter’s Weapon Snares $26 Million”
Langer Wins Millennium Technology Prize, World’s Biggest Innovation Award
Robert Langer is $1.2 million richer today. Langer, a renowned tissue engineer and drug delivery expert at MIT (and an Xconomist), has won the Millennium Technology Prize in Helsinki. It’s the world’s largest award for technology innovation, and is given to developers of a technology that “significantly improves the quality of human life, today and … Continue reading “Langer Wins Millennium Technology Prize, World’s Biggest Innovation Award”
What to Do When Rover Resents Roomba
When I got an iRobot Roomba vacuum cleaner a few years ago, my dog’s first reaction was mild curiosity, followed by total disinterest. He was clearly intelligent enough to understand that the gadget wasn’t alive—and that therefore it wasn’t a rival or a threat. Alas, some people’s dogs just aren’t as smart. An article in … Continue reading “What to Do When Rover Resents Roomba”
The Clean Dozen: First Class of Cleantech Fellows Comes to Boston
Back in April, we reported on the New England Clean Energy Council’s new fellowship program, which is designed to train experienced businesspeople in the art of cleantech entrepreneurship. Now the NECEC has announced its charter class of fellows who will take part in the pilot this summer. It’s a three-month, half-time classroom program that will … Continue reading “The Clean Dozen: First Class of Cleantech Fellows Comes to Boston”
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Cultivating Successful Businesses Around Universities in Boston
We all know the startup culture is rich around MIT and the Boston area. But what are the real reasons, and how can you successfully access and incorporate the innovation spawned in the great universities in the region? This panel, put on by the Office for Science and Technology of the French Embassy and the … Continue reading “Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Cultivating Successful Businesses Around Universities in Boston”
PeopleAhead Has Forward-Looking Take on the Online Job Board
The Web has been around for long enough that many online businesses that once seemed revolutionary have begun to look routine, tired, even fundamentally flawed. In many industries, there is an emerging second generation of Web businesses that hope to supplant their pioneering predecessors. Look at online comparison shopping in the financial industry, for example. … Continue reading “PeopleAhead Has Forward-Looking Take on the Online Job Board”
Stratus Launches Software for Sky-High Reliability
Computer users are a seasoned breed, accustomed to less-than-perfect service from their machines. That applications suddenly freeze, forcing you to restart your PC every once in a while, is just a reality of modern life. But for a lot of businesses it’s vital to have a high reliability in their computing systems. If a banking … Continue reading “Stratus Launches Software for Sky-High Reliability”
Bullhorn, Inc. Receives $26,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f943f60f-6fd9-4062-9e13-be333236bc07&Preview=1 Date 6/11/2008 Company Name Bullhorn, Inc. Mailing Address 33-41 Farnsworth Street, 5th Floor Boston, MA 02210 Company Description Bullhorn is the global leader in On Demand, integrated front office software for the staffing and recruiting industry. Website http://www.bullhorn.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $26,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The … Continue reading “Bullhorn, Inc. Receives $26,000,000 New Round”
Biogen Idec’s Nominees Win Support from Shareholder Advisory Firms
Biogen Idec got a boost today in its proxy battle with billionaire investor Carl Icahn. Two big firms that advise institutional investors and mutual funds on how to vote in corporate elections—RiskMetrics Group/ISS Governance Services and Glass, Lewis & Co.—recommended that shareholders vote for the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company’s slate and reject Icahn’s three nominees. … Continue reading “Biogen Idec’s Nominees Win Support from Shareholder Advisory Firms”
Eurekafest
Celebrate the inventive spirit at EurekaFest, June 25-28, presented by the Lemelson-MIT Program and the Museum of Science. Join a community of inventors and innovators at the Lemelson-MIT Awards Ceremony or see a nationwide high school invention showcase on the MIT campus. Saturday at the Museum of Science, watch live presentations of award-winning student inventions, … Continue reading “Eurekafest”
Utility Scale Energy Storage
The New England Clean Energy Council presents a briefing session featuring a panel of experts (energy storage firm and utility executives, technologists, venture capitalists, and consultants) discussing opportunities and issues around utility scale energy storage. The session will address economic, technical, and regulatory hurdles, debate the feasibility of various storage solutions, and try to project … Continue reading “Utility Scale Energy Storage”
American Superconductor Scores Huge Contract with Chinese Wind Turbine Manufacturer
While New England boasts a home-grown cluster of cleantech and green energy startups, the region is also becoming a major supplier of infrastructure and equipment for green energy projects around the world. In April, Merrimack, NH-based GT Solar won a $91 million contract to supply Dutch photovoltaic manufacturer The Silicon Mine with reactors needed to … Continue reading “American Superconductor Scores Huge Contract with Chinese Wind Turbine Manufacturer”
Do Takeover Efforts (Like Icahn’s Move on Biogen Idec) Harm Innovation?
When shareholder activists like Carl Icahn start banging on a company’s front door, threatening to rally investors to help them take over the company, it naturally gives management headaches. But what effect does it have on a company’s ability to innovate? It’s a good question in general, and it’s moving front and center next week … Continue reading “Do Takeover Efforts (Like Icahn’s Move on Biogen Idec) Harm Innovation?”
As iPhone 3G Launch Nears, Boston Developers Ready Their Apps
The last time Steve Jobs got up on stage and talked about the iPhone, at January’s MacWorld expo, he had a big piece of Boston-related news: local firm Skyhook Wireless had been tapped to provide the Wi-Fi-based location finding feature for the iPhone’s newly upgraded map application. As it turned out, Boston didn’t have a … Continue reading “As iPhone 3G Launch Nears, Boston Developers Ready Their Apps”
Man on a Cleantech Mission: A VC Visits the U.K. (Day Two)
London: Monday, June 9th * Day 1 started strong and stayed that way. A set of briefings and discussions at the U.K. Trade & Investment offices, a startup company pitch, coffee with Bernie Bulkin from Vantage Point Venture Partners, a trip to the House of Commons to watch their debate on the Climate Change Bill … Continue reading “Man on a Cleantech Mission: A VC Visits the U.K. (Day Two)”
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc. Secures $60,000,000 Series F Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1d2cc4d3-a794-49eb-b5ae-ff57592ec0b9&Preview=1 Date 6/10/2008 Company Name Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc. Mailing Address One Kendall Square, Building 700, 2nd Fl Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We are dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative therapies for the treatment of autoimmune disease … Continue reading “Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc. Secures $60,000,000 Series F Funding”
Icahn Has Ideas For Biogen. Starting With More R&D Spending
Biogen Idec has accused Carl Icahn of having no ideas on how to improve the company, so today the billionaire shareholder activist fired back. Icahn wants to boost spending on research and development, improve employee morale, mend relations with partners, and possibly cut expenses outside research, according to a memo to shareholders filed today with … Continue reading “Icahn Has Ideas For Biogen. Starting With More R&D Spending”
Let the Games Begin: Akamai To Speed Olympic Video Downloads
Having tackled the Super Bowl, Akamai Technologies is setting its sights on a more global stage—the summer Olympics in Beijing. Back in January, we reported that the Cambridge, MA-based company, which specializes in online content distribution and networking, was helping the New England Patriots and the NFL get ready for the biggest game of the … Continue reading “Let the Games Begin: Akamai To Speed Olympic Video Downloads”
Vertex’s Hepatitis C Drug Passes Test, Moving to Another Phase III
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is on a roll. The company’s experimental drug, telaprevir, helped wipe out the hepatitis C virus for more than half of volunteers in a clinical trial who had previously failed to respond to standard therapy. Shares of the Cambridge, MA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) shot up as much as 7 percent in early trading, … Continue reading “Vertex’s Hepatitis C Drug Passes Test, Moving to Another Phase III”
Third Wave Means Extra Power For Hologic
Medical device and diagnostics company Hologic (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HOLX]]) of Bedford, MA, hopes to accelerate its growth in the diagnostics market. To that end, the company today announced an agreement to put up $580 million to buy Third Wave Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TWTI]]), which develops molecular diagnostics, especially for HPV, human papilloma virus. Hologic specializes in women’s … Continue reading “Third Wave Means Extra Power For Hologic”
MoneyAisle Lets Banks Bid Against Each Other for Customers
The Web has brought comparison shopping to nearly every corner of commerce, including banking. In fact, thanks to years of advertising, LendingTree’s tagline—“When Banks Compete, You Win”—is one of the most familiar on the Internet. But now a startup in Burlington, MA, is arguing that the “competition” on LendingTree and similar financial-industry websites is often … Continue reading “MoneyAisle Lets Banks Bid Against Each Other for Customers”
Turbine Confirms $40M Round, Nuance Prices Secondary Offering, Sirtris Completes GSK Deal, & More Deals News
New England software firms had a busy week, it seems, and there were a couple of key biotech deals too. Here’s the rundown: —Boston-based OpenAir, a provider of Web-based services automation software for business groups, was acquired by Silicon Valley’s NetSuite for $26 million. —Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) sold the rights to its royalty stream … Continue reading “Turbine Confirms $40M Round, Nuance Prices Secondary Offering, Sirtris Completes GSK Deal, & More Deals News”
Man on a Cleantech Mission: A VC Visits the U.K. (Day One)
London: Sunday June 8, Noon * We knew we had arrived when we came out of the underground station at Westminster and looked up at “Big Ben” and Parliament. We really knew we had arrived when traffic from both directions (look right, then left) stopped to let us cross Abingdon Street. Four members of the … Continue reading “Man on a Cleantech Mission: A VC Visits the U.K. (Day One)”
Long Courtship Preceded GlaxoSmithKline’s Sirtris Acquisition
GlaxoSmithKline’s purchase of Cambridge, MA-based Sirtris Pharmaceuticals—a deal completed today—was on the drawing boards long before it made headlines in late April, according to an interesting story by Boston Globe reporter Todd Wallack. “We’re getting married to someone that we’ve been dating for a while,” Sirtris CEO Christoph Westphal told Wallack. Sirtris, which went public … Continue reading “Long Courtship Preceded GlaxoSmithKline’s Sirtris Acquisition”
The Conscientious Consumer’s Cell Phone Guide to Shopping
If you’re concerned about global warming, what breakfast cereal should you buy to support the company with the best record on greenhouse gas emissions? Soon, you might be able to make informed decisions on issues like that right in the supermarket aisle. “All you’ll have to do is to take out your cell phone, scan … Continue reading “The Conscientious Consumer’s Cell Phone Guide to Shopping”