Bob and Rebecca both went on vacation last week, but local newsmakers didn’t. I did my best to keep on top of the business-and-technology headlines, with some help from a terrific freelancer, Neil Savage; here’s a look back at the bounty. —Pogo Jet, a Chicopee, MA-based regional airline planning to fly very light jets like … Continue reading “3Com Left at the Altar, EMC’s Head in the Cloud, Let There Be LEDs, and Other News”
Category: Boston
Boston Companies Grab Headlines at Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference 2008 attracted video game designers from all over the world to San Francisco this past week to discuss the business and technology of gaming—and no doubt to revel in a few days of pure, Klingon-speaking geekiness. Boston-area game developers were well represented, both among the nominees for top games of 2007 … Continue reading “Boston Companies Grab Headlines at Game Developers Conference”
New Hampshire Startup Makes World’s Largest Sheets of Carbon Nanotubes
Ever since scientists first figured out how to make carbon nanotubes—tiny cylinders of carbon with diameters of a few tens of nanometers—they’ve been touted as the material of the future: as strong as steel but far lighter, with the ability to conduct electricity in useful ways. The problem is that because they’re so small, it’s … Continue reading “New Hampshire Startup Makes World’s Largest Sheets of Carbon Nanotubes”
Sirtris Finds Anti-Cancer Effect, Teams with NIH
Cambridge’s Sirtris Pharmaceuticals is known mainly for studying compounds like resveratrol that affect how the body uses insulin and may therefore have a role in treating metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity. But the company has always maintained that resveratrol-like compounds, which apparently work by boosting the activity of a gene called SIRT1, may … Continue reading “Sirtris Finds Anti-Cancer Effect, Teams with NIH”
Luminus Deal Brightens Future for LED Lighting
If you’re not crazy about the compact fluorescent lights being touted as the future of home lighting, but you want something more environmentally conscious than Thomas Edison’s old incandescent bulb, Luminus Devices of Billerica, MA, may soon have just the thing for you. Luminus makes very bright LEDs, and has been doing a nice business … Continue reading “Luminus Deal Brightens Future for LED Lighting”
NetClarity, Inc. Receives $2,500,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d82a19c3-b66d-48ae-851c-c2b416353a65&Preview=1 Date 2/22/2008 Company Name NetClarity, Inc. Mailing Address 54 Middlesex Turnpike Bedford, MA 01730-1417 Company Description NetClarity develops vulnerability management and intrusion prevention network security products. NetClarity’s new product, called EasyNAC, is designed to identify devices that should be allowed within a network and is expected to be a boon to … Continue reading “NetClarity, Inc. Receives $2,500,000 New Funding”
EMC Creates Cloud Computing Division, Hires Former Microsoft Exec to Lead It; Oh, They Bought His Startup, Too
There’s a term of art in journalism called “burying the lede.” It means taking the reader on a pleasant, diverting stroll for a few paragraphs before getting to the real news. That’s what Hopkinton, MA-based EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]) did in spades in a late-afternoon press release today. The announcement is ostensibly about EMC’s all-cash acquisition … Continue reading “EMC Creates Cloud Computing Division, Hires Former Microsoft Exec to Lead It; Oh, They Bought His Startup, Too”
Methuen Company’s Motors Power MRI Surgery Robot
Combine the folks who brought you the giant robot arm on the space shuttle with a company that makes miniature ceramic motors and what do you get? A brain surgery robot that works inside an MRI machine, of course. Researchers at the University of Calgary in Alberta, with help from MacDonald, Dettwiler, and Associates (MDA), … Continue reading “Methuen Company’s Motors Power MRI Surgery Robot”
As Venture Money Floods India, Two New England Firms Are Among Top Investors
A report from Dow Jones VentureSource shows that venture capital investment collected by entrepreneurs in India nearly tripled in 2007, totaling $928 million across 80 separate deals, as compared to just $349 million for 36 deals in 2006. It was “easily the highest total on record for the region,” according to the Dow Jones report, … Continue reading “As Venture Money Floods India, Two New England Firms Are Among Top Investors”
Mass Technology Leadership Council Annual Meeting: Opportunities for Tomorrow
Join trustees of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council and other industry leaders as they recognize the accomplishments of the state’s IT/communications industry and explore future trends and opportunities for companies in the sector. Speakers include Governor Deval Patrick; George Colony, chairman and CEO of Forrester Research; Roger Brinner, chief economist for The Parthenon Group; and … Continue reading “Mass Technology Leadership Council Annual Meeting: Opportunities for Tomorrow”
To Get Windows Mobile into Enterprises, Microsoft Turns to Boston Software Veteran
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is the kind of guy who can start a company with a single phone call. And when Ballmer called Mort Rosenthal in early 2007, he knew exactly what he wanted: a new company that would help Microsoft’s biggest customers in industries like financial services, health care, and professional services start seeing … Continue reading “To Get Windows Mobile into Enterprises, Microsoft Turns to Boston Software Veteran”
Affomix Corporation Lands $7,000,000 Series A Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cda89bb4-f2db-4d8d-ab28-45659fed0b0c&Preview=1 Date 2/21/2008 Company Name Affomix Corporation Mailing Address 300 George Street New Haven, CT 06511 Company Description Affomix is developing an automated approach for obtaining very large numbers of antibodies useful in the diagnosis of disease and development of therapies. Website http://www.affomix.com/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Affomix Corporation Lands $7,000,000 Series A Financing Round”
Jackpot Rewards: An Online “Economic Engine for the Common Good”
The idea of sponsoring a weekly $1 million sweepstakes isn’t exactly high-tech. Neither is the idea of giving consumers cash rewards for their purchases, or the concept of committing a portion of your company’s profits to kids’ charities. But mash these things together—and put the whole thing on the Internet, where viral marketing and other … Continue reading “Jackpot Rewards: An Online “Economic Engine for the Common Good””
Jackpot Rewards, Inc. Obtains $16,700,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a16aac44-7a15-4be2-aceb-2f6d3187e717&Preview=1 Date 2/20/2008 Company Name Jackpot Rewards, Inc. Mailing Address 275 Grove Street Newton, MA 02466 Company Description The company operates on online lottery website. Website http://www.jackpotrewards.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $16,700,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The company will use the funding to roll out its online site and … Continue reading “Jackpot Rewards, Inc. Obtains $16,700,000 New Financing”
Incipient Inc. Lands $15,600,000 Series E Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3f83ebc1-922d-40e1-8281-d545ed5f469c&Preview=1 Date 2/20/2008 Company Name Incipient Inc. Mailing Address 404 Wyman Street Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Incipient, Inc. was founded on the vision of providing a scalable, network resident software platform that offers storage services to reduce cost and simplify operational complexity in enterprise storage environments. Website http://www.incipient.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Incipient Inc. Lands $15,600,000 Series E Funding”
CMGI, Inc. Acquires Open Channel Solutions for $24,500,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f5716980-a57a-4d6e-b442-f8f9155b00e6&Preview=1 Date 2/20/2008 Company Name Open Channel Solutions Mailing Address Three Allied Drive Dedham, MA 02026 Company Description OCS provides solutions that manage entitlements for software licenses, maintenance and support subscriptions, hardware features and rights-managed content. OCS’ solutions, including its Poetic™ software product. Website http://www.ocs.com/ Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $24,500,000 Transaction … Continue reading “CMGI, Inc. Acquires Open Channel Solutions for $24,500,000”
Stop Marketing and Sell
Noted Boston entrepreneur and serial CEO Jack Derby will speak at the next meeting of the Southern New England Enterpreneurs Forum (SNEEF) on how successful entrepreneurs must continuously sell the value proposition of their business to funders, vendors, and employees, but above all to paying customers. Derby will lead a panel discussion that includes Mitchell … Continue reading “Stop Marketing and Sell”
Pogo Jet Sets IPO Terms A Year (Or So) Ahead of Commercial Operations
In today’s tough economic climate, high-tech firms have been taking flight when it comes to their planned IPOs—delaying them or canceling them outright (think Archemix, BG Medicine, and so on). But Pogo Jet, a Chicopee, MA-based jet charter service—aimed, no doubt, at least partly at the high-tech business set—is letting its IPO ambitions soar. The … Continue reading “Pogo Jet Sets IPO Terms A Year (Or So) Ahead of Commercial Operations”
Innovation and the University-Industry Interface
Editor’s note: This article was published last July 2, during our first week in existence. Given the attention to last week’s post by Chris Gabrieli questioning Harvard’s legacy of tech transfer, we wanted to share Sahin’s thoughtful observations with a wider audience. The buzzword of the 1980s and ’90s was “entrepreneurship.” This decade, the obsession … Continue reading “Innovation and the University-Industry Interface”
At Liquid Machines, a Harvard Dean’s Invention Plugs Document Leaks
Leonardo da Vinci, the most productive and free-ranging mind of his generation, filled his notebooks using a mirror script that no one else could read. Thomas Jefferson, while serving as Washington’s Secretary of State, invented a wheel-cipher device to protect his diplomatic correspondence from prying eyes. So perhaps it’s not such an unusual irony that … Continue reading “At Liquid Machines, a Harvard Dean’s Invention Plugs Document Leaks”
Super-Stealthy Givvy to Offer Online “Charity Therapy”
Think about the causes that are closest to your heart—the environment? The wellbeing of children? Social justice? The fate of NBC’s critically acclaimed “Friday Night Lights?” Now think about the charitable donations you made last year. Even if you’re one of those incredibly organized people who has already gathered all of his 2007 receipts into … Continue reading “Super-Stealthy Givvy to Offer Online “Charity Therapy””
The Telephone Gambit—Book Reading
Did Boston’s own Alexander Graham Bell steal the telephone patent? It doesn’t look good, as we have shown in these excerpts from Xconomy contributing writer Seth Shulman’s new book, The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell’s Secret. Seth will be reading from his book, signing copies, and answering questions at the MIT Coop Bookstore in … Continue reading “The Telephone Gambit—Book Reading”
Yahoo Acquires Maven, Novell Acquires SiteScape, Eons Spins Off Tributes, Vertex Makes $400M Offering, & More
Venture deals continued to be slow heading into the long weekend, and things will be slow here at Xconomy today—but here’s the action from the past week. Happy Birthday, Misters President! —Boston’s Vaultus raised $6 million in a round led by Point Judith Capital and joined by Susquehanna International Group and IDG Ventures. The new … Continue reading “Yahoo Acquires Maven, Novell Acquires SiteScape, Eons Spins Off Tributes, Vertex Makes $400M Offering, & More”
FIRST Robotics Competition—Boston Finals
The FIRST Robotics Competition, founded by Dean Kamen, has become all the rage. Think WWF meets rock concert meets geeks meets student-built robots. It’s wild, it’s fun—and it’s advancing the cause of science and technology education. The Blue Man Group kicks off the Boston area finals, run by Xconomist Marc Hodosh. Kamen, also an Xconomist, … Continue reading “FIRST Robotics Competition—Boston Finals”
Fearing Icahn’s Impact on Morale, Biogen Idec Launches Key Employee Retention Plan
Call it the Icahn Effect. To help keep top executives, scientists, and other employees on board and productive in the face of ongoing uncertainty and anxiety over Carl Icahn’s efforts to force a sale of the company, Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) has launched a retention program that offers key employees bonuses of up to 150 percent … Continue reading “Fearing Icahn’s Impact on Morale, Biogen Idec Launches Key Employee Retention Plan”
Guitar Hero Returns to Boston
The billion-dollar franchise that is Guitar Hero is coming home to Boston, in the form of a special edition of the blockbuster video game enshrining the music of the original Bad Boys from Boston, Aerosmith. Activision, which distributes the Guitar Hero games, announced today that Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, the sixth game in the phenomenally popular … Continue reading “Guitar Hero Returns to Boston”
Dealing With the Changing Landscape of Patent Law
Xconomist David Resnick is one of the folks lined up at this one-day event to help patent attorneys and others involved in tech patenting learn to deal with “the turmoil and uncertainty in patent law [that] makes it difficult for business enterprises to make strategic business decisions.”
Massachusetts’ Billion Dollar Biotech Plan Has Sweet Valentine’s Day; House Blows Kisses to UMass, RNAi, and Others
The Massachusetts legislature promised Governor Deval Patrick he’d get some action this month—on his long-delayed billion-dollar life sciences initiative, anyway—and it delivered right on Valentine’s Day. The House yesterday unveiled its version of the bill, which according to media reports is largely faithful to the one the Governor introduced in May. Indeed, the 10-year, $1 … Continue reading “Massachusetts’ Billion Dollar Biotech Plan Has Sweet Valentine’s Day; House Blows Kisses to UMass, RNAi, and Others”
EMC Soaring Into the Cloud (Computing)—the Question is When, Not If
Cloud computing has put the wind in the IT industry’s sails lately. It seems that there are as many interpretations of what the term means as there are clouds in the sky. But basically it’s the idea that truly large-scale computing power—from software applications to storage and information management services—will exist out there on the … Continue reading “EMC Soaring Into the Cloud (Computing)—the Question is When, Not If”
Cram for that Exam with Help from uProdigy’s Tutors in India
It’s 4:00 a.m., you’ve been up all night studying for the big linear algebra exam, and you have the sinking feeling that there’s something about eigenvectors and eigenvalues that you still just don’t understand. Your roommates are all asleep. You’d call up your friend the math whiz, who never sleeps, but you’ve already used up … Continue reading “Cram for that Exam with Help from uProdigy’s Tutors in India”
MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Innovation Series: Life Sciences
The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge hosts a keynote talk and panel discussion focused on Pervasis Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA company focused on regenerative cell therapies. Harvard chemist and local entrepreneurial legend George Whitesides will give the keynote speech, and the panel will include Stephen Bollinger, president and COO of Pervasis. Members $20, non-members $30. … Continue reading “MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Innovation Series: Life Sciences”
Icahn Dumps Genzyme Position
Looks like Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]) employees who’ve maybe been watching their counterparts over at Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) squirm under the stern attention of Carl Icahn can stop wondering if their company is about to receive the same. Regulatory filings posted today show that during the fourth quarter of 2007 the activist investor dumped all … Continue reading “Icahn Dumps Genzyme Position”
Novell Buys Online Workspace Provider SiteScape
Collaborative online workspaces for business people—a fringe concept just a couple of years ago—is now a hotly contested market, with WebEx launching WebOffice, Adobe’s Acrobat gaining Web conferencing features, Yahoo integrating Zimbra, and Microsoft pushing Office Groove (the legacy of its 2005 acquisition of Beverly, MA-based Groove Networks). And that’s just the beginning of the … Continue reading “Novell Buys Online Workspace Provider SiteScape”
ULocate’s “Buddy Beacon” Spreads to More Phones; Wherever You Go, Your Friends Will Know
ULocate’s Dan Gilmartin hinted last week that we should be on the lookout for another announcement about Buddy Beacon, the mobile-phone-based friend-finding service that uLocate built for, and recently bought back from, L.A.-based Helio. The announcement came yesterday, and the substance of it was predictable, given uLocate’s other recent announcement that its Where platform for … Continue reading “ULocate’s “Buddy Beacon” Spreads to More Phones; Wherever You Go, Your Friends Will Know”
Charles River Ventures Offers Startup Support at Game Developers Conference
Look for Boston’s video-gaming community to transplant itself en masse to San Francisco next week for CMP Media’s Game Developers Conference (GDC), which, for gaming industry professionals, is like the Consumer Electronics Show and MacWorld and the Olympics wrapped into one. This year there’s a new option on the GDC agenda for budding gaming entrepreneurs: … Continue reading “Charles River Ventures Offers Startup Support at Game Developers Conference”
Carbonite Inc. Receives $5,200,000 Series B Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3b8fd7f2-11a9-426b-a3af-504220a78c52&Preview=1 Date 2/14/2008 Company Name Carbonite Inc. Mailing Address 334 Boylston St – 3rd floor Boston, MA 02116 Company Description Carbonite sells secure Internet-based backup for personal computer and laptop owners. Website http://www.carbonite.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,200,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A … Continue reading “Carbonite Inc. Receives $5,200,000 Series B Round”
With a Whole Lot of Spending to Do, Vertex Seeks Some $400 Million in Stock and Note Offerings
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) is turning to the market for an infusion of new cash after a series of delays and disappointments that have nudged the Cambridge, MA-based firm’s stock steadily downward for the last several months. The biotech, whose shares were trading around $40 in September, last night priced an underwritten offering of 6 … Continue reading “With a Whole Lot of Spending to Do, Vertex Seeks Some $400 Million in Stock and Note Offerings”
Kendall Square Gets a GYM Membership: Google, Yahoo, Microsoft
On November 11, 2005, tech blogger Om Malik challenged his fellow bloggers to “Stay GYM Free” for a week. “Whether we hate them, or we love them, we do love to talk about them…Them being Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, aka GYM,” he wrote. “What would happen if the blogosphere decided that we would not talk … Continue reading “Kendall Square Gets a GYM Membership: Google, Yahoo, Microsoft”
Eons Spins Off Obits, But Insists Company is Alive and Well as It Unveils Big Redesign
The folks over at Eons, the web site for the baby boomer crowd, must have aged a lot in the last few months. Back in September, the struggling Boston company laid off a third of its staff. Then, in a pretty full-out public relations disaster, the firm early this month dropped its over-50 age limit … Continue reading “Eons Spins Off Obits, But Insists Company is Alive and Well as It Unveils Big Redesign”
Tributes.com Lands $4,300,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ea20cc70-c8db-4101-8abc-51cba0de751d&Preview=1 Date 2/13/2008 Company Name Tributes.com Mailing Address 31 Fifth St. Boston, MA 02129 Company Description Tributes.com is the online resource for current local and national obituary news, lasting tributes celebrating the lives of loved ones, and an online community to provide support during times of loss and grieving. Website http://obits.eons.com/ Transaction … Continue reading “Tributes.com Lands $4,300,000 New Funding”
Paloma Pharmaceuticals Garners $5,000,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=24e14885-4fc6-4cc7-a97c-99f165e49eb0&Preview=1 Date 2/13/2008 Company Name Paloma Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 37 Neillian Crescent Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Company Description Paloma Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an early stage drug development company focusing on pathologies with a vascular component including cancer, ocular diseases (macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy), arthritis, fibrotic diseases (pulmonary fibrosis) endometriosis, osteoporosis and … Continue reading “Paloma Pharmaceuticals Garners $5,000,000 Series A Round”
Novell, Inc. Acquires SiteScape for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=22563a32-38ae-48e3-b75d-a3bda36fb8e0&Preview=1 Date 2/13/2008 Company Name SiteScape Mailing Address 10 Clock Tower Place Maynard, MA 01754 Company Description SiteScape provides collaborative solutions that specifically address the communication and program management needs of large and/or distributed teams in business, government, and military organizations. The company’s integrated Web-based solutions meet enterprise requirements for knowledge management, … Continue reading “Novell, Inc. Acquires SiteScape for Undisclosed Sum”
Happy 10th Birthday, XML
The Extensible Markup Language, or XML—a way of structuring data inside semantic tags that allow it to be interpreted consistently across disparate information systems—is the key to many types of business software today, not to mention the entire Web 2.0 revolution. And on Sunday, the critical Web standard turned 10 years old. The Cambridge-based World … Continue reading “Happy 10th Birthday, XML”
Google Android Code Day
An immersive introduction, hands-on session, and “technical deep dive” for Android, the open-source mobile phone operating system under development by Google, which offers this preview: “The Android Advocates will be walking you through building an application using the Android SDK as well as lead deep dives in select topics.” Information here, registration here.
Yahoo Buys Maven Networks, Joining Google, Microsoft in Kendall Square
A rumor circulated by TechCrunch on January 31 that Yahoo intended to acquire Cambridge-based Maven Networks, whose Web video and advertising platform is used by dozens of large media organizations, seemed to go by the wayside after Microsoft launched its unsolicited bid for Yahoo the next day. But it turns out that the deal was … Continue reading “Yahoo Buys Maven Networks, Joining Google, Microsoft in Kendall Square”
Can SpotScout Take the Pain out of Parking?
Finding parking in a busy urban area like Boston can feel like a high-stakes game of musical chairs—except that when the music ends and every parking spot is filled, there are still tens of thousands of people driving in circles. SpotScout, a service slated to launch this month in Boston and one to two months … Continue reading “Can SpotScout Take the Pain out of Parking?”
Vaultus Raises $6 Million to Bolster Sales of its Mobile Middleware
Boston-based Vaultus, which makes “mobile middleware” allowing road warriors and other workers to use their smart phones to access key enterprise systems such as customer relationship management, business intelligence, and help-desk software, announced today that it has raised $6 million in new venture funding to expand its sales and marketing operation. Point Judith Capital of … Continue reading “Vaultus Raises $6 Million to Bolster Sales of its Mobile Middleware”
Evergreen Solar Plans Offering, ThingMagic Teams With Ford, Dynogen Reverse-Merges Onto the Market, & More
There used to be a time when almost all the deals in the weekly(ish) roundup involved life sciences companies, but things have been suspiciously quiet on that front in recent weeks. Which is not to say there aren’t plenty of interesting deals to discuss. —Braving a market that has scared off several local IPOs, Marlboro, … Continue reading “Evergreen Solar Plans Offering, ThingMagic Teams With Ford, Dynogen Reverse-Merges Onto the Market, & More”
Yahoo! Acquires Maven Networks for $160,000,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c1d6f86b-a41a-4775-994f-31910e10c02e&Preview=1 Date 2/12/2008 Company Name Maven Networks Mailing Address 196 Broadway, 3rd floor Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Maven Networks makes it easy to create and deliver unrivaled consumer experiences across broadband TV, PCs and portable devices. Website http://www.maven.net/ Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $160,000,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Under … Continue reading “Yahoo! Acquires Maven Networks for $160,000,000”
TechConnect — Four Conferences in One
Starting June 1, the Hynes Convention Center will be buzzing with four (or is it three? we can’t really figure it out) simultaneous and apparently interrelated conferences, sponsored in part by the Cambridge, MA-based Nano Science and Technology Institute: TechConnect Summit 2008: “Focused on bringing together the world’s top technology transfer offices, companies, and investment … Continue reading “TechConnect — Four Conferences in One”