The rise of smartphones, wearables, and other Internet-connected devices has enabled Applause to build what it says is a thriving business helping companies like Facebook and Starbucks test their apps and other digital products. Now, the decade-old firm, a stalwart of the Boston tech scene, intends to boost its growth with the help of a … Continue reading “Vista Equity to Acquire Applause, as App Testing Firm Eyes Profits”
Category: Boston
FDA Clears Way for Filing on Psych Drug From Intra-Cellular, Shares Climb
The FDA has just lowered a key barrier standing between Intra-Cellular Therapies and potential approval of an experimental schizophrenia drug. Now the question is whether the mixed set of data the company has accrued to support the program will be good enough for regulators. Intra-Cellular (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ITCI]]) said the FDA has finished looking over responses … Continue reading “FDA Clears Way for Filing on Psych Drug From Intra-Cellular, Shares Climb”
Breaking Barriers & Building Bridges: Xconomy’s Diversity Award Finalists
Innovation comes from a steady flow of new ideas, and the desire to remain innovative and competitive is driving many institutional efforts to boost student and workforce diversity. The Xconomy Award finalists in the “Commitment to Diversity” category span academia and industry. A common thread among them is an effort to boost the diversity of … Continue reading “Breaking Barriers & Building Bridges: Xconomy’s Diversity Award Finalists”
The Downside of Immersive Tech: An Increasingly Isolated World
As an entrepreneur who has been involved in tech and media for over two decades, I have seen my share of disruptions (I so hate that word!) and even participated in a few. Back in the 1990s, while we were developing some broadband technologies at Sourcecom, my first startup, we also had to develop the … Continue reading “The Downside of Immersive Tech: An Increasingly Isolated World”
GNS Healthcare Adds $6M, Led by Amgen, for Machine Learning Tech
The investment arm of biotech giant Amgen has led a new $6 million round of funding in GNS Healthcare, CEO Colin Hill tells Xconomy. Amgen Ventures’ new investment is a part of the company’s Series C financing round, which now totals $23 million, says Hill, who is also GNS’s chairman and co-founder. Cambridge, MA-based GNS … Continue reading “GNS Healthcare Adds $6M, Led by Amgen, for Machine Learning Tech”
Scott Miller Talks Dragon Innovation’s Winding Journey to Avnet Deal
It’s funny how relationships can come full circle in the business world. The seeds of Dragon Innovation’s sale to Avnet, announced Tuesday, were planted over a decade ago in China, says Dragon co-founder and CEO Scott Miller. At the time, he was running iRobot’s operations there alongside his future Dragon co-founder Herman Pang, he says. … Continue reading “Scott Miller Talks Dragon Innovation’s Winding Journey to Avnet Deal”
After Y Combinator, May Mobility Ready to Test Self-Driving Fleets
[Corrected, 10:16 am. See below] There has been a lot of speculation about what Ann Arbor, MI-based May Mobility has been up to since the company began working in stealth mode early this year. The new company has to do with autonomous vehicles—one of the hottest fields in tech—but until this week its website revealed … Continue reading “After Y Combinator, May Mobility Ready to Test Self-Driving Fleets”
Avnet Acquires Boston Hardware Consultant Dragon Innovation
Dragon Innovation, the Boston-area hardware consulting firm, has been acquired by one of its partners, Avnet, for an undisclosed price. Phoenix-based global distributor Avnet (NYSE: [[ticker:AVT]]) says it offers a mix of product design and supply chain services. Prior to the deal, Avnet owned a portfolio of seven subsidiaries, and it has been on an … Continue reading “Avnet Acquires Boston Hardware Consultant Dragon Innovation”
Marketing Startup Sigstr Gets $5M From Hyde Park, HubSpot & Others
Sigstr, an e-mail marketing startup based in Indianapolis, says it has raised $5 million in Series A funding. The investment was led by Hyde Park Venture Partners, which was joined by HubSpot (NYSE: [[ticker:HUBS]]), Battery Ventures, Grand Ventures, and High Alpha Capital. Investors have pumped a total of $7 million into Sigstr, a company spokeswoman … Continue reading “Marketing Startup Sigstr Gets $5M From Hyde Park, HubSpot & Others”
HubSpot Dips Toe Further Into Startup Investing With Sigstr Deal
HubSpot is ramping up its startup investments as part of a larger strategic effort to augment the capabilities of its sales and marketing software tools. Some of the young companies HubSpot backs may become its partners—if they’re not already—by integrating their services with the larger company’s. The 12-year-old Cambridge, MA-based company made its first investment … Continue reading “HubSpot Dips Toe Further Into Startup Investing With Sigstr Deal”
Near The East River, Plans Emerge For NY’s Next Life Science Center
At a time when biotech incubators and shared spaces are beginning to multiply in Manhattan, work on what could rank among the city’s largest biotech centers—if it can all come together—is just getting underway. According to Paul Wexler, a longtime healthcare-focused real estate broker, construction should begin next year on what is being called the … Continue reading “Near The East River, Plans Emerge For NY’s Next Life Science Center”
On Drug Pricing: FDA Backs Up Its Calls for Increased Competition
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has been very public in expressing his desire to provide increased competition and greater choice to American consumers in a bid to drive down prices of prescription medicines. Recently, the agency he oversees took some unusual steps to back up those statements with action. Last week, the FDA approved the use … Continue reading “On Drug Pricing: FDA Backs Up Its Calls for Increased Competition”
Bio Roundup: Frazier v. Trump, Data Dumps, New York Steps & More
The CEO of a major U.S. pharmaceutical company was in the news this week, but for a change not because of the cost of drugs. Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier (pictured) was the first of what quickly became a line of CEOs to exit President Trump’s manufacturing council, leading to its dissolution altogether. Frazier was widely … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Frazier v. Trump, Data Dumps, New York Steps & More”
Boston Tech Watch: ZoomInfo, CloudHealth, Endurance, Smilo & More
[Updated 8/21/17, 11:34 am. See below.] This week in Boston tech, we’re tracking endings and new beginnings. It’s the end of an era at both 17-year-old ZoomInfo, which just got acquired, and 20-year-old Endurance International Group, which named the successor to its founding CEO. CloudHealth Technologies will move into new digs next year. GoPapaya is … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: ZoomInfo, CloudHealth, Endurance, Smilo & More”
Expanding Tissue and Squeezing Cells: Meet Xconomy’s Young Innovator Award Finalists
The finalists in the Young Innovator category of the 2017 Xconomy Awards show that it’s never too early in life to start a company or invent a new technology. These four individuals (30 years of age or under) share a strong drive, even a restlessness, to build new things that make a difference. Three knew … Continue reading “Expanding Tissue and Squeezing Cells: Meet Xconomy’s Young Innovator Award Finalists”
On the Hudson, Two Developers Open NYC’s Latest Bio Startup Space
Two real estate developers, Taconic Investment Partners and Silverstein Properties, have unveiled plans to bring about 150,000 square feet of new wet lab space online on the West Side of Manhattan, the latest effort in an ongoing quest in New York City to provide startup biotech companies a local home to form and grow. Taconic … Continue reading “On the Hudson, Two Developers Open NYC’s Latest Bio Startup Space”
Join GE, IBM Watson & Others at Healthcare + A.I. on Nov. 2
On November 2, Xconomy will explore the intersection of healthcare and artificial intelligence at our newest event in the Boston area, Healthcare + A.I. We’re gathering top leaders from New England and beyond to discuss strategies that companies are using to bring A.I. to healthcare, the business challenges around those efforts, and how all of … Continue reading “Join GE, IBM Watson & Others at Healthcare + A.I. on Nov. 2”
After Cybersecurity Shift, Black Duck Is Growing Fast & Eyeing Deals
Transforming a well-established company is a tricky feat. It looks like Black Duck Software has figured out how to pull it off. Xconomy recently checked in with the Burlington, MA-based company, which has been around since 2003. Under founding CEO Doug Levin, Black Duck made a name for itself by providing tools to help software … Continue reading “After Cybersecurity Shift, Black Duck Is Growing Fast & Eyeing Deals”
Private Equity Investors Have $740 Billion to Spend, Driving Valuations
Private equity investors have more capital at their disposal than at any time in more than a decade, which could boost prices for companies seeking acquisitions. As of Aug. 1, private equity firms in North America and Europe had secured $212.6 billion in new commitments this year, on pace to eclipse the “already stellar” fundraising … Continue reading “Private Equity Investors Have $740 Billion to Spend, Driving Valuations”
Latest Immunotherapy Setback: Bristol Drugs Stumble in Kidney Cancer
The recent stumbles for cancer immunotherapy—specifically, combinations of treatments meant to help boost its effectiveness—continued late Tuesday with some disappointing news from one of the leaders in the field, Bristol-Myers Squibb. Bristol (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) said that a Phase 3 trial testing two of its immunotherapies together in newly diagnosed kidney cancer patients, a study called … Continue reading “Latest Immunotherapy Setback: Bristol Drugs Stumble in Kidney Cancer”
SnapApp Snaps Up $10.2M as Boston Marketing Tech Sector Surges
Marketing technology is continuing its run as one of the hottest industries of the summer in the Boston-area tech scene. The latest to cash in on the deal making is SnapApp, which on Tuesday announced it received a $10.2 million investment from earlier backer Providence Strategic Growth. Providence Strategic Growth, the growth equity affiliate of … Continue reading “SnapApp Snaps Up $10.2M as Boston Marketing Tech Sector Surges”
Jounce Taps Ex-Ariad Dealmaker, Cole, as CBO
Cambridge, MA-based cancer drug developer Jounce Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:JNCE]]) has named Hugh Cole its new chief business officer and head of corporate development. Cole was previously a top dealmaker at Ariad Pharmaceuticals and was a Shire executive for seven years before that. Takeda acquired Ariad for $5.2 billion in January.
SoftBank-Backed Altaeros Wants Blimps to Deliver “SaaS in the Sky”
More than 4 billion people around the world lack Internet access, and some tech giants and small startups are betting the solution will come from floating or flying broadband-beaming equipment in the sky. It’s still unclear whether that strategy will, uh, take off. But the investment in this emerging sector is certainly growing. The latest … Continue reading “SoftBank-Backed Altaeros Wants Blimps to Deliver “SaaS in the Sky””
Dragonfly, eGenesis, Spero & More: Xconomy’s Startup Award Finalists
Startups play a critical role in the innovation economy that we chronicle at Xconomy—transforming new ideas that begin in a lab into the products and companies of tomorrow. No surprise, then, that the startup category in our first-ever Awards program was a particularly competitive one, loaded with private companies (no more than 5 years old) … Continue reading “Dragonfly, eGenesis, Spero & More: Xconomy’s Startup Award Finalists”
Boston Tech Watch: Ticketmaster, Accomplice, Jebbit & More
Time to catch up on more New England tech news. This week, we’re tracking acquisitions by a division of Ticketmaster, new funding for a trio of local companies, and the latest on the makeover of Accomplice’s venture investing team. Read on for details. Changing hands —Ticketmaster-owned TicketWeb is buying Strobe Labs, a startup that provides … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Ticketmaster, Accomplice, Jebbit & More”
Kauffman Fellows Take On VC Sexual Harassment, Bench Mentor McClure
If you’re looking for a counterpoint to the recent flurry of news stories about sexual harassment and gender bias in the tech sector, the Kauffman Fellows program isn’t a bad place to start. The Palo Alto, CA-based program, a spinoff of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, has been a gateway into the venture capital industry … Continue reading “Kauffman Fellows Take On VC Sexual Harassment, Bench Mentor McClure”
GSK Hands Nerve Drug Back to Ionis as RNA Battle Heats Up
A race is on to bring two new RNA-based drugs for a rare, debilitating nerve disease called familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP). And GlaxoSmithKline has just dropped out of it. This morning, Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IONS]]) said that it has regained full rights, from GSK, to a drug called inotersen, which the Carlsbad, CA, company expects … Continue reading “GSK Hands Nerve Drug Back to Ionis as RNA Battle Heats Up”
Bio Roundup: $1B Deals, Data Bumps, Acorda’s Lumps, Generic OKs & More
With President Trump holed up in New Jersey, rattling his saber at Kim Jong-un and Mitch McConnell and ignoring his own commission’s advice on the opioid crisis, there was still life sciences news from the nation’s capital. The FDA reported that generic drug approvals are set to hit a record; the agency under Commissioner Scott … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: $1B Deals, Data Bumps, Acorda’s Lumps, Generic OKs & More”
Tech Hiring Trends: Buzzwords, Trump Effect, and Gender-Pay Gap
As the tech economy continues its historic boom, here’s three views of labor market trends released this week, including the rise and fall of buzzwords in engineering job postings; the Trump Administration’s impact on U.S. companies’ interest in foreign workers; and another disappointing look at the gender-pay gap. —In the last two years, big data … Continue reading “Tech Hiring Trends: Buzzwords, Trump Effect, and Gender-Pay Gap”
Why We All Should Care About the Recent Brouhaha at Google
The issues raised by the 10-page memo on the suitability of women for certain engineering and leadership positions at Google (culminating in the firing of its author) have implications for all of us. They are as much about the requirements for success in today’s workplace—and how to identify and nurture those qualities in all employees—as they … Continue reading “Why We All Should Care About the Recent Brouhaha at Google”
Startup Builders, IPO Closers & More: Meet Xconomy’s CEO Award Finalists
There are many ways to stand out as a biotech CEO, from getting a company started in the first place to pushing its first drug over the finish line. Those differences are what we noticed when going through the nominations from you, the readers, for the top Boston biotech CEO, as part of the first-ever … Continue reading “Startup Builders, IPO Closers & More: Meet Xconomy’s CEO Award Finalists”
Evergage, Altaeros, Tinkergarten Among Flurry of Boston Tech Deals
August is here, but there’s been no summer slowdown in the Boston-area tech scene. Here are four deals announced in the past day or so, which cut across marketing, education, telecommunications, and database software: —Evergage, the Somerville, MA-based marketing technology firm, snapped up $10 million in a Series C funding round led by Arrowroot Capital, … Continue reading “Evergage, Altaeros, Tinkergarten Among Flurry of Boston Tech Deals”
Buoy Snags $6.7M for Chatbot, as A.I. Pushes Further Into Healthcare
While finishing up his third year at Harvard Medical School in 2013, Andrew Le started to notice a pattern. Le was working in an emergency room as part of a clinical rotation, and says that he spoke with patient after patient who had run Google searches on the symptoms they were experiencing before deciding to … Continue reading “Buoy Snags $6.7M for Chatbot, as A.I. Pushes Further Into Healthcare”
For Parkinson’s, Two New Drugs Coming As Prevail Gets Started in NY
A drug that actually slows or reverses the brain damage inflicted by Parkinson’s disease, rather than just alleviates its often debilitating symptoms, remains elusive. But Prevail Therapeutics, a startup just launched in New York, has become the latest to try. This morning, the Silverstein Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed by OrbiMed partner Jonathan Silverstein, announced … Continue reading “For Parkinson’s, Two New Drugs Coming As Prevail Gets Started in NY”
Xconomy Presents: Healthcare + A.I.
Artificial intelligence is starting to seep into many aspects of healthcare and life sciences. There’s no revolution yet—but there may well be in the next few years. Computer vision, natural language processing, and machine learning are being used to analyze patients’ genomes, medical images, behavior, and other big data. But A.I. technologies still face challenges … Continue reading “Xconomy Presents: Healthcare + A.I.”
Dragonfly, Tyler Jacks Sign On for Boston’s Life Science Disruptors on Sept. 28
Dragonfly Therapeutics is one of the more unusual biotech startups to come along of late. It was formed by well-known cancer researchers on both coasts, backed by some high-powered family offices, and already has a partnership with Celgene—all without the presence or help of a single venture firm. Two of Dragonfly’s co-founders, cancer research pioneer … Continue reading “Dragonfly, Tyler Jacks Sign On for Boston’s Life Science Disruptors on Sept. 28”
UniQure Names McMillan COO, van Deventer Succeeds Retiring CSO
Scott McMillan is joining uniQure (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QURE]]) as chief operating officer. Before coming to uniQure, a gene therapy developer split between The Netherlands and Lexington, MA, McMillan was senior vice president of quality and technical operations at AMAG Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMAG]]) in Waltham, MA. McMillan will be based at uniQure’s Lexington site. In other moves, … Continue reading “UniQure Names McMillan COO, van Deventer Succeeds Retiring CSO”
Xconomy Awards: The Finalists Are….
The nominees for our first ever Xconomy Awards were an impressive bunch, and represent a wide range of the technologies, approaches, and yes, personalities, that are all driving Boston biotech today. There’s a lot of talent in this town, so narrowing the list of more than 250 nominations down to a handful of finalists in … Continue reading “Xconomy Awards: The Finalists Are….”
An Insider’s Guide to Bridging the Biotech Gender Gap
As an executive recruiter focused solely on life sciences, I’m among the first to acknowledge the industry’s gender gap. Of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies around the world, only one has a woman at the helm—and GSK named Emma Natasha Walmsley as CEO less than five months ago. Among biotech executive leadership teams, women make … Continue reading “An Insider’s Guide to Bridging the Biotech Gender Gap”
Neurable’s Brain-Computer Interface Platform Scores U-M Investment
Neurable, a University of Michigan spinout now located in Cambridge, MA, has received a new investment from the university’s Zell Lurie Founders Fund to help commercialize its brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. The amount of the investment was not disclosed. The new capital builds on a $2 million seed round the company raised last December, says … Continue reading “Neurable’s Brain-Computer Interface Platform Scores U-M Investment”
NxStage Medical Sells to Dialysis Giant Fresenius for $2B
German dialysis giant Fresenius is paying $2 billion to acquire NxStage Medical, a Lawrence, MA-based developer of products for patients dealing with kidney failure. Fresenius is paying $30 a share for NxStage (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NXTM]]), a roughly 28 percent premium to the company’s $23.14 closing price on Friday. That price represents an all-time high for NxStage: … Continue reading “NxStage Medical Sells to Dialysis Giant Fresenius for $2B”
CRISPR Therapeutics Hires Tony Ho From AstraZeneca to Lead R&D
CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRSP]]) has hired Tony Ho to serve as the company’s executive vice president and head of research and development. Switzerland-based CRISPR Therapeutics, which maintains its R&D operations in Cambridge, MA, is developing therapies based on the CRISPR gene-editing technology. Ho comes to the company from AstraZeneca (NYSE: [[ticker:AZN]]), where he was senior … Continue reading “CRISPR Therapeutics Hires Tony Ho From AstraZeneca to Lead R&D”
Nightstar Brings Tuyen Ong On Board as Chief Development Officer
Tuyen Ong is joining Nightstar as executive vice president and chief development officer. Ong comes to Nightstar from South Plainfield, NJ-based PTC Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PTCT]]), where we was chief medical officer. Ong will be based in Lexington, MA, where London-based Nightstar has its U.S. headquarters. The company, which develops treatments for rare congenital retinal diseases, … Continue reading “Nightstar Brings Tuyen Ong On Board as Chief Development Officer”
Bio Roundup: CRISPR Advances, Obamacare Lives, FDA Nods & More
Gene editing took an important step this week when a group of U.S. researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to correct a genetic error in dozens of human embryos without complications. It’s a significant achievement, but amidst the hype, it’s worth cautioning just how much work has to be done before the technology leads to a safe … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CRISPR Advances, Obamacare Lives, FDA Nods & More”
IFM Gets $300M Bristol Buyout, Plans Second Strike With New Spinout
Bristol-Myers Squibb this afternoon is acquiring a young startup, IFM Therapeutics, in an unusual deal that will also see the big drugmaker get a chance to own rights in a new company the biotech is spinning out as well. New York-based Bristol (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) will pay $300 million up front for IFM, which will give … Continue reading “IFM Gets $300M Bristol Buyout, Plans Second Strike With New Spinout”
Dramatic Capital Inflows Continue in 2Q17… Trouble Ahead?
In an environment of microscopic interest rates, it is particularly interesting to read the Preqin 2Q17 Quarterly Update, which exhaustively tracks all things private equity and venture capital. At the end of June 2017 there were 1,998 funds in market raising a total of $676 billion – a staggering sum – indicative of global investors … Continue reading “Dramatic Capital Inflows Continue in 2Q17… Trouble Ahead?”
Veritas Buys Curoverse to Bring A.I. Analysis of Genes to the Masses
Some answers to questions about the risk of developing a disease or a bad reaction to a drug can be found by analyzing a patient’s genes. In the not-too-distant future, such queries could be as easy as searching for and selecting a movie on Netflix, contends Rodrigo Martinez, chief marketing and design officer for Veritas … Continue reading “Veritas Buys Curoverse to Bring A.I. Analysis of Genes to the Masses”
Check Out Tesaro & More at “Disruptors” on Sept. 28; Super Saver Rate Ends Today
Time is running out to get a discount on Xconomy’s annual “Boston’s Life Science Disruptors” event in Cambridge, MA. You don’t want to miss this unique blend of candid stories from some of New England’s most radical biotech company leaders, founders, and VC backers. You’ll get insights and perspective from the ground level of the … Continue reading “Check Out Tesaro & More at “Disruptors” on Sept. 28; Super Saver Rate Ends Today”
DataRobot, Brightcove, Namogoo, Shelf & More New England Tech News
Here are some recent headlines from New England’s tech scene, including a leadership shakeup at Brightcove, more money for fast-growing data science software startup DataRobot, and investments in a pair of Connecticut companies. Read on for details. —Brightcove CEO David Mendels resigned from the online video hosting and marketing company in a “mutual agreement” with … Continue reading “DataRobot, Brightcove, Namogoo, Shelf & More New England Tech News”
Mattessich Starts as New Ocular CEO, Trims Staff in Cost-Saving Move
Antony Mattessich has formally started as CEO of Ocular Therapeutix and his first move as top executive is culling the company’s headcount by 19 percent. Bedford, MA-based Ocular (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OCUL]]), whose eye drug delivery device was recently rejected by the FDA, announced last month that Mattessich would succeed Amarpreet Sawhney as CEO. Upon the change, … Continue reading “Mattessich Starts as New Ocular CEO, Trims Staff in Cost-Saving Move”