Think helper robots anyone can afford. Or garden and household waste that powers your home, personalized digital fabrication, and well, not living forever, but for a lot longer, thanks to tissue-regeneration technology and other disease prevention advances. MIT has polled a group of top researchers about the most important economy-boosting, life-changing technologies and advances they … Continue reading “MIT Thinkers Weigh in on the Most Important Advances About to Change the World”
Category: Boston
Foster-Miller Awarded $400 Million Military Contract
Updated, May 29: Those robots must be doing something right. Less than a month after its 2000th TALON military robot went out into the world, Waltham, MA-based Foster-Miller has been awarded its biggest robot contract yet—for more of the same. The $400 million award calls for Foster-Miller to deliver an unspecified number of additional TALON … Continue reading “Foster-Miller Awarded $400 Million Military Contract”
Jury Awards Medtronic $250 Million in Patent Suit Against Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific lost an early round in a patent dispute with Medtronic. A federal jury in Texas awarded Medtronic $250 million in damages late yesterday, saying that the Natick, MA, company infringed on three patents for cardiac stent delivery and balloon catheter technology. Boston Scientific (NYSE: [[ticker:BSX]]) said today in a statement that it plans … Continue reading “Jury Awards Medtronic $250 Million in Patent Suit Against Boston Scientific”
Vaultus Puts Patient Data on PDAs
The last time I went to the doctor was so long ago that my charts were still being kept on paper. But with initiatives like Google Health in full swing, things are changing fast. Analysts at The Diffusion Group, based in Texas, say that more than half of health care providers now use advanced mobile … Continue reading “Vaultus Puts Patient Data on PDAs”
Why Isn’t Lionbridge King of the Globalization Jungle?
Being the leader of the pride, it seems, doesn’t guarantee you a nice meal everyday. Waltham, MA-based Lionbridge Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LIOX]]) may be the world’s largest provider of localization services, helping hundreds of other companies from Microsoft to Merrill Lynch to Pfizer go global by translating their websites, product manuals, software programs, and drug warnings … Continue reading “Why Isn’t Lionbridge King of the Globalization Jungle?”
No Quick Sale, Icahn Says in Letter to Biogen Idec Shareholders
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn wants Biogen Idec’s shareholders to believe he’s capable of doing more than just agitate for a sale of the company to the highest bidder. He wants them to think his people can bring valuable expertise to the board. Two of the activist investor’s three nominees to the Biogen board, Alex Denner … Continue reading “No Quick Sale, Icahn Says in Letter to Biogen Idec Shareholders”
EnvIO Networks, Inc. Lands $10,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b18d5b8e-0219-43a4-b8a0-796fb7c79ea1&Preview=1 Date 5/28/2008 Company Name EnvIO Networks, Inc. Mailing Address One Tech Drive Andover, MA 01810 Company Description We’re delivering a product that defines a new category of mobile application, bringing content to subscribers in new and innovative ways. Website http://www.envionetworks.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,000,000 Transaction Round Series B … Continue reading “EnvIO Networks, Inc. Lands $10,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
Laser Light Engines Inc. Obtains $5,000,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c96a69c4-ce2e-4d7b-8f3f-a0088b1087b0&Preview=1 Date 5/28/2008 Company Name Laser Light Engines Inc. Mailing Address 135 South Road Bedford, MA 01730 Company Description Laser Light Engines is a new company developing an innovative digital light source to upgrade the future cinema experience. Website http://www.laserlightengines.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds … Continue reading “Laser Light Engines Inc. Obtains $5,000,000 Series A Funding”
Proteomics Company Wins North of Boston Business Plan Prize
In case you haven’t heard enough about business plans lately (think MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, the Ignite Clean Energy Competition, and the $200K MIT Clean Energy Entrepreneurship Prize), here’s another bit of news that might have passed unnoticed: Differential Proteomics, a biotech startup based in Beverly, MA, recently won the $10,000 first prize in the … Continue reading “Proteomics Company Wins North of Boston Business Plan Prize”
High Hopes and Expectations About Tomorrow’s Science and Technology Challenge
(A commencement address to graduates of Eberly College of Science, Penn State University, delivered on May 17, 2008) It is an honor to be asked to address you on this wonderful day of promise for an exciting future. As a Professor for the past 35 years, I understand the important achievement this day represents for … Continue reading “High Hopes and Expectations About Tomorrow’s Science and Technology Challenge”
Alnylam Inks $1 Billion Deal with Takeda
Talk about staking a claim to local biotech turf. Early this morning, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Japan’s biggest drugmaker, announced jointly with Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) that the two companies have signed a strategic partnership deal that is potentially worth more than $1 billion over five years. This comes on the heels of Takeda’s … Continue reading “Alnylam Inks $1 Billion Deal with Takeda”
Evergreen Rakes in the Green, NxStage Plans Two-Stage Deal, Atlas Places Big Bet on MicroRNA, & More Deals News
Smaller deals were the rule last week, but this first one marked an exception. —Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ESLR]]) of Marlboro, MA, inked about $1 billion worth of new long-term sales deals. The company, which was formed in 1994 to commercialize “string ribbon” solar-cell manufacturing technology invented at MIT, now has long-term agreements with eight customers … Continue reading “Evergreen Rakes in the Green, NxStage Plans Two-Stage Deal, Atlas Places Big Bet on MicroRNA, & More Deals News”
AeroSat Lands $14,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=22120314-b4f3-4bf8-8f3f-e102b07644f8&Preview=1 Date 5/27/2008 Company Name AeroSat Mailing Address P.O. Box 176 Temple, NH 03084 Company Description AeroSat Corporation develops, produces and distributes mobile wireless communications solutions to increase the flow of information to and from people on the move, whether on land, on sea, or in the air. From its patented core … Continue reading “AeroSat Lands $14,000,000 New Funding Round”
Science Below the Surface
When I took my dog out for a walk yesterday morning, the sidewalk was strewn with old EKG readouts, as if we had just missed a macabre ticker-tape parade. I picked up one of the sheets—probably flotsam from the hospital across the street—and gazed at the thin blue trace, tremulously crossing a field of pink … Continue reading “Science Below the Surface”
Brightcove Opens Japanese Subsidiary
It’s International Week for the local Internet video cluster. Yesterday we reported on ExtendMedia’s deal with Bell Canada enabling Canadian Internet users to download movies on same day the films are available on DVD. Now there’s news that Cambridge, MA-based Brightcove is opening a subsidary in Japan. Brightcove, founded in 2005 by former General Catalyst … Continue reading “Brightcove Opens Japanese Subsidiary”
Maine Names Tech Stars
It’s not just about lobsters, vacations, and Stephen King. Maine’s technology community is booming. On Wednesday, TechMaine, the state’s trade association for the tech sector, announced the winners of its 5th not-quite-annual (they skipped a year) Technology Awards. The awards highlight the achievements of tech firms across the state. We thought you’d be interested to … Continue reading “Maine Names Tech Stars”
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics: The Definitive Rundown on New England Biotech
It’s official: 2007 rocked for New England biotech. Whether you look at IPOs, mergers, or venture activity, the region is consistently among the nation’s leaders. And on a per capita basis, it might even be unsurpassed. Such was the word (except for the per capita bit, which we added) this week from Ernst & Young’s … Continue reading “Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics: The Definitive Rundown on New England Biotech”
HyperMed, Inc. Garners $4,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dbc79e96-3975-43c5-9fb5-878a10932222&Preview=1 Date 5/23/2008 Company Name HyperMed, Inc. Mailing Address 305 Second Avenue Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description HyperMed, Inc., the leader in applying hyperspectral technology to medical applications. HyperMed’s flagship diagnostic device, OxyVu-1™, received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in November, 2006 for use in assessing patients for poor tissue … Continue reading “HyperMed, Inc. Garners $4,000,000 New Funding”
Shares of Evergreen Solar Shine After $1 Billion Contract News
Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ESLR]]), a solar-power-product manufacturer that Xconomist Bill Aulet calls one of the poster children for clean-energy success, got a nice bump on the stock market this morning after announcing it has inked about $1 billion worth of long-term sales deals The Marlboro, MA-based firm, which went public in 2000, yesterday announced an … Continue reading “Shares of Evergreen Solar Shine After $1 Billion Contract News”
ExtendMedia Extends Movie Downloads to Canada
U.S. residents have access to a growing number of online video portals, such as Movielink, Cinemanow, and Apple’s iTunes store, where they can buy or rent movies for download on the same day they’re available in retail stores on DVD. Thanks to the complexities of international licensing, however, most of these services aren’t accessible to … Continue reading “ExtendMedia Extends Movie Downloads to Canada”
Rocky Mountain High: Atlas Venture Is Banking on microRNA for Miragen
Look out, heart disease. This week’s announcement of Boulder, CO-based Miragen Therapeutics closing a Series A round worth $8 million is the opening salvo in a new fight against the dreaded disease—and the coming-out party for an intriguing new company. The founding investors are Waltham, MA-based Atlas Venture and Colorado-based Boulder Ventures. Although Miragen is … Continue reading “Rocky Mountain High: Atlas Venture Is Banking on microRNA for Miragen”
The Executive Bloggers of Boston
The Cluetrain Manifesto, the classic book on how the Internet has changed the way consumers relate to corporations, was published in 1999. The word “blog” appears nowhere in it. (While the term “weblog” had been coined a couple of years earlier, it wasn’t until late 1999 that the short form “blog” caught on as a … Continue reading “The Executive Bloggers of Boston”
Private Equity Hub’s Fenway Shindig
peHUB (our favorite financial blog) will be in Boston on June 13 for an evening of drinks and networking with the city’s top private equity and venture capital investors. It’s the final stop on peHUB’s Across America tour, so they’re doing it in style at Fenway Park! No content, just cocktails and conversation. Tickets cost … Continue reading “Private Equity Hub’s Fenway Shindig”
A Diagnostics Non-Profit Takes the 100K Prize, Greenfuel Gets a $13.9M Bump for Algae Bioreactors, Beth Israel Teams With Google, and More Life Sciences News
For-profit firms are the bread and butter of the New England biotech startup scene, but it was nice to see a new non-profit getting a little love last week. Here’s that and the rest of the week’s life sciences news. —A non-profit venture aimed at providing cheap, portable, easy-to-use diagnostics tools for healthcare workers in … Continue reading “A Diagnostics Non-Profit Takes the 100K Prize, Greenfuel Gets a $13.9M Bump for Algae Bioreactors, Beth Israel Teams With Google, and More Life Sciences News”
ZoomInfo Ad Targeting Spinoff Launches in SF
A few months ago, when we zoomed in on ZoomInfo, the Waltham, MA-based business database company was beta testing an ad-targeting service designed to quickly identify website visitors and serve up ads customized for people in their specific job categories. It’s all about business demographics, or “bizographics.” As Wade wrote, “In a way, ZoomInfo’s service … Continue reading “ZoomInfo Ad Targeting Spinoff Launches in SF”
Vlingo Survey Finds Epidemic of “DWT”—Driving While Texting
Text messaging, a longstanding habit among many Asian and European mobile phone users, is finally catching on with Americans. A major survey commissioned by Cambridge, MA-based speech-to-text software company Vlingo shows that 55 percent of all U.S. mobile subscribers send text messages—and 42 percent use their phones for texting as much as they do for … Continue reading “Vlingo Survey Finds Epidemic of “DWT”—Driving While Texting”
Web Analytics Wednesday
SiteSpect hosts the June iteration of the world’s only global social networking event for Web analytics professionals. Founded in 2005, this event has connected nearly 4,000 people worldwide. It’s a great opportunity to meet other industry professionals and find out what’s going on in the world of web analytics. This event is free and food … Continue reading “Web Analytics Wednesday”
Negroponte Unveils 2nd Generation OLPC Laptop: It’s an E-Book
I’m “live blogging” from the One Laptop Per Child Foundation’s day-long media event at the MIT Media Lab. The big news is that OLPC founder Nicholas Negrponte has just unveiled the design for the foundation’s second-generation laptop, which isn’t really a laptop at all but a double-screened, fold-up electronic book. Below are five shots of … Continue reading “Negroponte Unveils 2nd Generation OLPC Laptop: It’s an E-Book”
The Next Big Thing in Energy Innovation and Investing? Let’s Talk Water
Energy innovation and investing are exploding right now. Technological breakthroughs are seen as perhaps the greatest hope to solving our dire energy challenge. However, what is often overlooked is the link between finding or creating new sources of energy and the effects on food and water. Indeed, if you think of energy as a coin, … Continue reading “The Next Big Thing in Energy Innovation and Investing? Let’s Talk Water”
Beth Israel Deaconess Is First Boston Hospital to Integrate with Google Health
Boston isn’t just home to a bevy of top-rated hospitals—it’s also the birthplace of medical informatics, or the storage and retrieval of health data. (The MUMPS programming language—for Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System—was written in 1966 and is still one of the most widely used languages for creating database-driven clinical applications.) So it isn’t … Continue reading “Beth Israel Deaconess Is First Boston Hospital to Integrate with Google Health”
Gotuit and Lifetime Let Viewers Call the Shots
If you think the director got it wrong, well go ahead and change the movie. That is the basic idea behind a new service, offered by cable television channel Lifetime, using technology developed by Gotuit in Woburn, MA. Lifetime’s “Movie Mash-up” works like video clip-art. You drag scenes from the channel’s movie library, combine them … Continue reading “Gotuit and Lifetime Let Viewers Call the Shots”
Volcano Corporation Acquires Novelis, Inc. for $15,000,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=40b8e8b9-fdbc-405e-954b-0fb33bb8e1ca&Preview=1 Date 5/20/2008 Company Name Novelis, Inc. Mailing Address 13 Branch Street Methuen, MA 01844 Company Description Novelis is a private company developing a proprietary forward-looking ultrasonic imaging catheter with integrated RF ablation to facilitate image guided, guidewire-based crossing of chronic total occlusions in the coronary and peripheral vasculature. Investigational Device – … Continue reading “Volcano Corporation Acquires Novelis, Inc. for $15,000,000”
World Energy Prepares for Nation’s First Carbon-Allowance Auctions
A Massachusetts energy-trading startup is gearing up to host the nation’s first auction for greenhouse gas emissions allowances. The details are still being worked out, but if all goes according to plan, World Energy Solutions (TSX: [[ticker:XWE]]) of Worcester will conduct the online auction—in which power-plant owners will buy and sell the rights to emit … Continue reading “World Energy Prepares for Nation’s First Carbon-Allowance Auctions”
Ignite Boston 3
Mingle and talk tech with your fellow FOOs, alpha geeks, and techies from the greater Boston area in this evening tech-fest sponsored by O’Reilly Media and organized by attendees. Apple iPhone hacker Jonathan Zdziarski and security expert John Viega kick off with keynote talks, followed by lightning-fast, five-minute presentations from local innovators (no sales pitches … Continue reading “Ignite Boston 3”
CBS Buys CNET—A Nice Spark for Spark
The news wires were ablaze last Thursday with word that CBS was moving to extend its online reach by acquiring CNET Networks for a cool $1.8 billion—a 45 percent premium over CNET’s trading price the day before. That wasn’t a local story, and we were just following along because we like big online media buys. … Continue reading “CBS Buys CNET—A Nice Spark for Spark”
OLPC Teams With Microsoft, Wired Bonds with Ars Technica, Greenfuel Gets More Green, & More Deals News
There was a steady flow of Boston-area deals last week—not to mention a couple of nice ones for our fellow tech-media companies. —The One Laptop Per Child Foundation forged an agreement with Microsoft to make versions of the foundation’s XO laptop that run Windows XP (even as former OLPC president of software and content Walter … Continue reading “OLPC Teams With Microsoft, Wired Bonds with Ars Technica, Greenfuel Gets More Green, & More Deals News”
Ars Technica Reportedly Bought By Condé Nast for $25 Million
Ars Technica, the widely read Malden, MA, tech blog for the computer set, has been acquired by media giant Condé Nast and will effectively become part of Wired and its growing digital assets, TechCrunch is reporting this afternoon. The purchase price is in the neighborhood of $25 million, about the same as what Condé Nast … Continue reading “Ars Technica Reportedly Bought By Condé Nast for $25 Million”
The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Screens
Liquid-crystal displays are getting bigger by the minute. These days, you can buy a huge 58-inch wide-screen LCD HDTV for under $3,000. Heck, at that price, you could buy 64 of them and hire Los Gatos, CA-based 9X Media to assemble them into a video wall large enough to hold its own in Times Square. … Continue reading “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Screens”
Bender Creates Sugar Labs—New Foundation to Adapt OLPC’s Laptop Interface for Other Machines
Walter Bender, the former president of software and content for the One Laptop Per Child Foundation, contacted Xconomy this morning to alert us to the creation of Sugar Labs, a non-profit foundation that will work on new versions of Sugar, the learning-oriented graphical interface Bender developed for the OLPC’s XO Laptop. Coming on the heels … Continue reading “Bender Creates Sugar Labs—New Foundation to Adapt OLPC’s Laptop Interface for Other Machines”
HubSpot Optimizes With $12 Million Financing Round
Search engine optimization and online marketing software provider and consultancy HubSpot has raised $12 million in a Series B round led by Matrix Partners, the Cambridge, MA-based company announced. Wade wrote about HubSpot in August, around the time it received $5 million from Cambridge’s General Catalyst Partners. As he described the firm, “the company’s Web-based … Continue reading “HubSpot Optimizes With $12 Million Financing Round”
Tough Times are the Right Times for Entrepreneurs, Says TiE Boston’s New Executive Director
The first thing I want to know is what “TiE” stands for. Answer: The Indus Entrepreneurs, which reflects the South Asian background of the organization’s charter members. But over the years, TiE has sometimes been referred to as “Talent, Ideas and Enterprise” and “The Innovative Ecosystems.” So excuse my confusion. (I would opt for “Twin … Continue reading “Tough Times are the Right Times for Entrepreneurs, Says TiE Boston’s New Executive Director”
HubSpot, Inc. Secures $12,000,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=26ea4276-6af0-493f-8405-578fd9eb0bf9&Preview=1 Date 5/16/2008 Company Name HubSpot, Inc. Mailing Address One Broadway, 14th Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description HubSpot is an Internet marketing software platform that enables your company to get more leads from your website by driving more prospects to your website and converting more of them into leads. HubSpot software … Continue reading “HubSpot, Inc. Secures $12,000,000 Series B Financing”
Antisoma Plc Acquires Xanthus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for $52,200,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6391d6ef-a6ee-4544-9993-5545f3fe5225&Preview=1 Date 5/16/2008 Company Name Xanthus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mailing Address 300 Technology Square Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Xanthus is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, acquisition and commercialization of small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disorders. Website http://www.xanthus.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $52,200,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Antisoma Plc Acquires Xanthus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for $52,200,000”
XO Laptop Goes Windows
Microsoft and the One Laptop Per Child Foundation have reached an official agreement to produce versions of the foundation’s XO Laptop that run Windows XP. The move is intended in part to overcome resistance to the XO among bureaucrats in countries where OLPC would like to distribute the laptop. “The people who buy the machines … Continue reading “XO Laptop Goes Windows”
Introducing Greg. He Rocks.
Astute readers will have noticed a new byline cropping up on Xconomy for the last week or so. It’s our new Seattle editor, Greg Huang. Seattle? Yeah, that’s what I said—more on that very soon. But Greg is filing stories from the Boston home office before he heads west so we thought you should know … Continue reading “Introducing Greg. He Rocks.”
OmniGuide Pulls Off Planned $25M Financing Round
Yoel Fink was a hard man to get a hold of back in March when Neil interviewed the OmniGuide CEO. Fink explained at the time that he was busy courting potential investors in a Series E round of funding for his Cambridge, MA-based medical device company, and that he hoped to raise $25 million to … Continue reading “OmniGuide Pulls Off Planned $25M Financing Round”
Diagnostics-For-All Wins it All in 100K Competition
Diagnostics-For-All, a non-profit venture aiming to provide low-cost diagnostic tools to global health workers, won the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition last night. It’s been a week of business plan and entrepreneurship prizes, as we have chronicled in a series of articles. But the 19-year-old 100K competition is the granddaddy of them all. Organizers say the … Continue reading “Diagnostics-For-All Wins it All in 100K Competition”
A Smarter Way to Scoot Through the City
If you ride a bike to work this week, chances are that somebody will give you, if not a free lunch, then at least a free breakfast. The meals are one of the activities organized during Bay State Bike Week. If not even a muffin and a cup of coffee will convince you to start … Continue reading “A Smarter Way to Scoot Through the City”
OmniGuide, Inc. Lands $25,000,000 Series E Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4ad670ce-60b6-4846-8325-a9cb5071cc1d&Preview=1 Date 5/15/2008 Company Name OmniGuide, Inc. Mailing Address One Kendall Square, Building 100, 3rd Floor Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description OmniGuide, Inc. develops and manufactures disposable cutting tools for minimally invasive surgery, based on a unique fiber technology for guiding high power laser light. Website http://www.omni-guide.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “OmniGuide, Inc. Lands $25,000,000 Series E Financing Round”
GreenFuel Technologies Secures $13,900,000 Series B Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b3724a5c-defa-475c-b55a-dfdc96066144&Preview=1 Date 5/15/2008 Company Name GreenFuel Technologies Mailing Address 735 Concord Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 Company Description With more than a dozen pending patents, GreenFuel Technologies is the leading developer of algae bioreactor systems that can convert flue gases into clean, renewable biofuels. Website http://www.greenfuelonline.com/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $13,900,000 … Continue reading “GreenFuel Technologies Secures $13,900,000 Series B Funding”