Category: Boston

In Cholesterol Drug Price Fight, Real Message Is “Wait Til Next Year”

The authors of a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association argue that the new wave of cholesterol-fighting drugs, hailed as a big medical step forward when they launched last year, should cost 70 percent less than their current list price to be worth the trouble prescribing them. The drugs’ owners, … Continue reading “In Cholesterol Drug Price Fight, Real Message Is “Wait Til Next Year””

Cambridge Sound Aims to Turn Up the Volume on Office Sound Masking

When prospective customers visit the offices of Cambridge Sound Management for a demonstration of the company’s product, they experience it as soon as they walk through the doors. But they don’t notice it—and that means the product is working. Cambridge Sound Management makes “sound masking” devices that attach to the ceiling and emit barely perceptible … Continue reading “Cambridge Sound Aims to Turn Up the Volume on Office Sound Masking”

Cerulean’s Shares Routed as Cancer Drug Comes up Short Again

Cerulean Pharma survived a near-death experience once before. But the Waltham, MA-based company now has another crisis on its hands. Cerulean (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CERU]]) said that its lead drug, CRLX101, failed its primary goal in a Phase 2 trial of 115 patients with renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer. The drug, when combined with … Continue reading “Cerulean’s Shares Routed as Cancer Drug Comes up Short Again”

CRISPR and More at Boston’s Life Science Disruptors Oct. 20

It wasn’t too long ago that the gene editing system CRISPR-Cas9 was just a tool for research labs, not companies developing drugs. But that’s all changed, and now it’s on companies like Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NTLA]]) to write the next chapter of what could be one of the most important biotech stories of the century. … Continue reading “CRISPR and More at Boston’s Life Science Disruptors Oct. 20”

Pharma’s Productivity Problem: Finding More Blockbuster Drugs

A recent Wall Street Journal article that raised the possibility of Biogen as the target of another huge pharma buyout cited the lack of productivity as a major driver of M&A in the pharmaceutical industry.  The authors made the point that, given the size of companies today, a single garden-variety blockbuster hardly moves the needle. … Continue reading “Pharma’s Productivity Problem: Finding More Blockbuster Drugs”

Rare Drug Developer Chiasma Lays Off More Workers After FDA Impasse

Chiasma, whose application for FDA approval for its drug for acromegaly was denied in April, is cutting 44 percent more of its workforce to keep itself afloat as it tries to figure out its path forward in the U.S. Since May, Chiasma (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CHMA]]) has reduced its total workers by 60 percent, leaving it with … Continue reading “Rare Drug Developer Chiasma Lays Off More Workers After FDA Impasse”

Ayar Labs Gets $2.5M to Go After Optical Chips for Data Centers

This startup sits at the intersection of electronics, optics, energy efficiency, and the Internet. It is where more than a decade of academic research meets a multibillion-dollar market. This is the story of Ayar Labs. The San Francisco startup, which has roots in Cambridge, MA, and Boulder, CO, is trying to solve a fundamental problem … Continue reading “Ayar Labs Gets $2.5M to Go After Optical Chips for Data Centers”

As Pfizer Buys, Closes Bind Tx, CEO Hirsch Heads to Agios

The ink is barely dry on Pfizer’s agreement to buy Bind Therapeutics out of bankruptcy and shut it down, but the employee exodus has begun. Andrew Hirsch, who was Cambridge, MA-based Bind’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIND]]) chief financial officer before taking over for Scott Minick as CEO in 2015, has been named the CFO of another Boston-area … Continue reading “As Pfizer Buys, Closes Bind Tx, CEO Hirsch Heads to Agios”

Techstars Alum AirFox Adds to Boston’s Sponsored Data Cluster

Silicon Valley rules most areas of high tech in the U.S., but Boston can make a case that it’s the epicenter of the emerging “sponsored data” sector, with a handful of startups powering services that give smartphone users free Internet access if they interact with ads or use a sponsor’s app or website. Three Boston-area … Continue reading “Techstars Alum AirFox Adds to Boston’s Sponsored Data Cluster”

Nexamp Receives New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4bae6697-0f26-4fce-a95e-adec3a61bdc3 Date 8/15/2016 Company Name Nexamp Mailing Address 4 Liberty Square Boston, MA 02109 USA Company Description Nexamp is a full service clean energy solutions company. Nexamp analyzes, designs, finances, builds and maintains clean energy projects that reduce energy costs and carbon emissions for businesses, governments, and homeowners. Our solutions include renewable … Continue reading “Nexamp Receives New Funding Round”

Bio Roundup: Precision Med and Google, Heron, Lilly, Sarepta & More

The wait continues. An FDA ruling on a Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug from Sarepta Therapeutics—which could be the first ever approved for the disease—has been imminent for a while now, yet Labor Day is fast approaching and still the saga drags on. Speculation abounds, from analysts and pundits, each giving different opinions as to whether … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Precision Med and Google, Heron, Lilly, Sarepta & More”

Bynder Receives $22,200,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ecabbc27-53be-4636-8255-67d68a657e00 Date 8/12/2016 Company Name Bynder Mailing Address 24 Farnsworth St. Boston, MA 02210 USA Company Description Bynder is award-winning marketing software that allows brands to easily create, find and use content, such as documents, graphics and videos. Website http://www.bynder.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $22,200,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds … Continue reading “Bynder Receives $22,200,000 Series A Funding Round”

MIT’s Jacks Leans on Disney Family, Not VCs, to Hatch New Startup

Tyler Jacks is a cancer research pioneer, one of the co-chairs of the White House’s ambitious Cancer “Moonshot” initiative, and has helped advise a number of companies developing cancer drugs over the years. But only now is Jacks building a cancer drug maker of his own: a stealthy startup called Dragonfly Therapeutics. Dragonfly was formed … Continue reading “MIT’s Jacks Leans on Disney Family, Not VCs, to Hatch New Startup”

Olympics Streaming, Uber Law, Exec Turnover & More Boston Tech News

In our latest recap of recent Boston tech headlines, we’ve got stats about Olympics online viewing, the latest development in local regulations of Uber and Lyft, a trio of acquisitions, and recent executive departures. Read on for details. —If you’re one of the more than 1 million people that have watched at least part of … Continue reading “Olympics Streaming, Uber Law, Exec Turnover & More Boston Tech News”

Redox and Kinvey Team Up, Hoping To Simplify Healthcare App-Making

Creating a software application that can talk to a hospital or clinic’s patient record-keeping system can be messy. As a result, many third-party developers elect to use an application programming interface, like one created by the Madison, WI-based startup Redox, to get data in and out of healthcare organizations’ records systems. Still, app-makers, regardless of … Continue reading “Redox and Kinvey Team Up, Hoping To Simplify Healthcare App-Making”

As U.S. Looks to Launch Precision Health Study, Google’s Role Emerges

The U.S. government has ambitious plans for a long-term health study with one million Americans, and one of the world’s most powerful tech companies has a big part to play, including the storage of all the data on its “cloud” servers. Google’s parent company Alphabet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOG]]) and its wholly owned biotech R&D group, Verily … Continue reading “As U.S. Looks to Launch Precision Health Study, Google’s Role Emerges”

Interactions Garners $56,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b64dba08-ad6f-4ead-93a3-3d63c414409a Date 8/11/2016 Company Name Interactions Mailing Address 31 Hayward Street Franklin, MA 02038 USA Company Description Interactions builds conversational self-service solutions for customer care based on patented Adaptive Understanding Technology. Website http://www.interactions.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $56,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes This new investment will fuel rapid expansion … Continue reading “Interactions Garners $56,000,000 New Funding Round”

Wefunder Secures $878,600 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4dc3a44d-1104-415b-9b9f-474736b44411 Date 8/11/2016 Company Name Wefunder Mailing Address One Broadway 14th Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 USA Company Description Wefunder is a crowd investing platform for startups. We help crowd investors purchase stock for as little as $100 in the most promising new businesses around the country. Website http://www.wefunder.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Wefunder Secures $878,600 New Financing”

ShopAdvisor Obtains $1,214,755 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0726fe67-3a89-4427-9f91-fd9b5243a48f Date 8/11/2016 Company Name ShopAdvisor Mailing Address 9 Damon Mill Square Concord, MA 01742 USA Company Description The ShopAdvisor deferred purchasing platform generates revenue for media publishers, bloggers, retailers & brands by helping consumers remember and follow through on their shopping interests when the time is right. Website http://www.shopadvisor.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “ShopAdvisor Obtains $1,214,755 New Round”

Newly Public Acacia Targets Data Centers, Wants to Be the Next Intel

They are the few, the proud, the tech companies that have gone public this year. Acacia Communications is one of them. The Maynard, MA-based networking company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACIA]]) raised $103.5 million in its IPO in May. That remains the Boston area’s only tech IPO of 2016. Meanwhile, San Francisco-based software firm Twilio went public in … Continue reading “Newly Public Acacia Targets Data Centers, Wants to Be the Next Intel”

Comcast, VCs Pour $56M Into Virtual-Assistant Firm Interactions

Here’s an interesting trend worth watching: investors are pumping money into a variety of technologies aimed at improving businesses’ customer service operations. It’s not the sexiest of industries, perhaps, but we’ll all be thankful if these bets help smooth out what’s typically a frustrating and time-consuming experience for consumers. What’s even more compelling is the … Continue reading “Comcast, VCs Pour $56M Into Virtual-Assistant Firm Interactions”

As Monster Gets Eaten by Dutch Firm Randstad, a Dot-Com Pillar Falls

Another dot-com era relic has been acquired for a pittance compared with what it was worth in its heyday. Monster Worldwide (NYSE: [[ticker:MWW]]), the parent company of job search website Monster.com, has agreed to be snapped up for $429 million by Randstad Holding, an Amsterdam-based firm that provides staffing and other human resources services. Under … Continue reading “As Monster Gets Eaten by Dutch Firm Randstad, a Dot-Com Pillar Falls”

Aldeyra Surges on New Data, Another Step For Inflammation Drug

Step by step, a small biotech called Aldeyra Therapeutics has been trying to build a case for a new type of inflammation-fighting medicine. Data released this morning by the Lexington, MA-based company continue to support the idea. Aldeyra said its drug, a medicine called NS2 meant to “trap” toxic aldehyde molecules, succeeded in a mid-stage … Continue reading “Aldeyra Surges on New Data, Another Step For Inflammation Drug”

How Will Apple Innovate Beyond the iPhone 7? With Next-Gen Siri

Apple’s iPhone 7 is due out next month. According to the Wall Street Journal, PFWTMs (“people familiar with the matter”) say the new device will look pretty much the same as the iPhone 6s. The biggest change: no more headphone plug. Customers who want to listen to music or podcasts on their iPhones will need … Continue reading “How Will Apple Innovate Beyond the iPhone 7? With Next-Gen Siri”

Xconomy Q&A: Vuforia, Pokémon Go, and Augmented Reality

Talk about auspicious timing. It’s been less than a year since Needham, MA-based PTC (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PTC]]) shelled out $65 million to acquire Vuforia, the augmented reality technology created by San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]). Qualcomm had worked to develop its Vuforia technology for at least five years before a maturing smartphone market and new economic … Continue reading “Xconomy Q&A: Vuforia, Pokémon Go, and Augmented Reality”

ProcessUnity Secures $5,199,997 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2fd89e53-5b03-4691-926f-a9417f93aed7 Date 8/9/2016 Company Name ProcessUnity Mailing Address 33 Bradford Street Concord, MA 01742 USA Company Description ProcessUnity is a leading provider of cloud-based applications for risk management and service delivery management. The company’s software as a service (SaaS) platform gives organizations the control to assess, measure, and mitigate risk and to … Continue reading “ProcessUnity Secures $5,199,997 New Round”

Xconomy’s EXOME Presents: Boston’s Life Science Disruptors

Disruption in biotech can come in different forms, from new technologies that can change the face of medicine, to ideas and initiatives that can challenge the status quo. Boston has both of these in spades, with ambitious biotech startups bent on transforming drug development and industry leaders unafraid to tackle the sector’s toughest issues. But … Continue reading “Xconomy’s EXOME Presents: Boston’s Life Science Disruptors”

Proteostasis Expands C-Suite, Adds Three New Execs

Cambridge, MA-based Proteostasis Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PTI]]) appointed three new members to its executive team. James DeTore (Bluebird Bio’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BLUE]]) former chief financial officer) is Proteostasis’s new CFO; Geoffrey Gilmartin (most recently a medical lead at AstraZeneca) is the company’s chief development officer; and Marija Zecevic (founder of consulting firm Zebra Ventures) is heading up … Continue reading “Proteostasis Expands C-Suite, Adds Three New Execs”

Torax Medical Obtains $25,000,000 Series E Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=139e5fa4-ea80-41a9-a833-ada519e0f4d1 Date 8/8/2016 Company Name Torax Medical Mailing Address One Landmark Square Stamford, CT 06901 USA Company Description Torax Medical is a clinical-stage medical device company founded in 2002 Website http://www.tm-partners.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $25,000,000 Transaction Round Series E Proceeds Purposes Torax Medical will use the funds to commercially … Continue reading “Torax Medical Obtains $25,000,000 Series E Funding Round”

Biotech Roundup: Biogen Rumors, Theranos, Electro-Drugs & More

Biogen was once again all over the biotech newswire this week. First came a positive surprise; data that could set the stage for the first-ever drug approved for spinal muscular atrophy, a rare and debilitating muscle disease. Then came the rumor mill: Companies may or may not be approaching Biogen about a sale, and Biogen … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Biogen Rumors, Theranos, Electro-Drugs & More”

Formlabs Lands $35,000,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f2f6c096-1d0a-4b93-bf06-8b45731e68ba Date 8/5/2016 Company Name Formlabs Mailing Address 35 Medford St. Somerville, MA 02143 USA Company Description With a 40% larger build volume, touch-screen controls, and Wi-Fi connectivity, the Form 2 pushes the boundaries of desktop 3D printing. Website http://www.formlabs.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $35,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds … Continue reading “Formlabs Lands $35,000,000 Series B Funding”

Drizly Secures $15,000,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=68d264fc-94ed-44cb-b1ea-f8e3f8ba3baa Date 8/5/2016 Company Name Drizly Mailing Address 9 Peckham Hill Rd. Sherborn, MA 01770 USA Company Description Looking for a liquor store near you? Drizly delivers wine, beer, or liquor to your door in under an hour! Delivering to NYC, LA, Chicago, Boston, DC & beyond. Website http://www.drizly.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Drizly Secures $15,000,000 Series B Funding Round”

Xconomy Presents: What’s Hot in Boston Healthtech

Boston is arguably the world’s most concentrated center of expertise in medicine, software and analytics, digital health, and biotechnology—making it the leader in healthcare more broadly. Now the region is forging a new era in which healthcare technology becomes deeply integrated into everything from hospitals and doctors’ offices to the daily lives of consumers, whether … Continue reading “Xconomy Presents: What’s Hot in Boston Healthtech”

Zeta Interactive Acquires Acxiom Impact, Gets Bigger in Silicon Valley

As Thursday comes to a close, Zeta Interactive has announced a new acquisition that increases its footprint in Silicon Valley. If that sounds like a familiar growth pattern for this New York-based big data and analytics company, it should. About a year ago, Zeta Interactive raised a $125 million round, and then several months later … Continue reading “Zeta Interactive Acquires Acxiom Impact, Gets Bigger in Silicon Valley”

FanDuel, DraftKings Return to NY as Fantasy Sports Laws Proliferate

The future of the online daily fantasy sports industry seemed in jeopardy toward the end of last year, after an insider trading-like scandal prompted intense scrutiny and triggered efforts nationwide to regulate or even shut down the companies in some states, like New York. What a difference a few months make. New York Gov. Andrew … Continue reading “FanDuel, DraftKings Return to NY as Fantasy Sports Laws Proliferate”

Foundry Group, Autodesk Lead $35M Deal With Formlabs in 3D Printing

Here’s the classic life cycle of an emerging technology: a big hype curve, a trough of disillusionment, and then slow but steady adoption. 3D printing looks to be right on schedule. Now, one of the leading startups in the sector is solidifying its position for the long haul. Formlabs, based in Somerville, MA, said today … Continue reading “Foundry Group, Autodesk Lead $35M Deal With Formlabs in 3D Printing”

Alcohol Delivery Firm Drizly Gulps $15M to Fend Off Amazon, Startups

In some ways, Drizly’s mobile app-enabled alcohol shopping service is so ’90s. “It’s going to sound kind of boring … but what we’re doing is very tech 1.0,” says Nick Rellas, Drizly’s co-founder and CEO. “We’re bringing a world of over $100 billion a year [in alcohol sales] that is almost entirely physically based, onto … Continue reading “Alcohol Delivery Firm Drizly Gulps $15M to Fend Off Amazon, Startups”

Ornim Lands $20,000,000 Series C Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a7bd3d45-fca4-4959-9d46-908ed6c46702 Date 8/4/2016 Company Name Ornim Mailing Address 125 Washington St. Foxborough, MA 02035 USA Company Description Ornim, Inc. specializes in clinical research, development, and distribution of the highest quality medical devices in the field of tissue and cerebral blood flow and perfusion. Website http://www.ornim.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $20,000,000 … Continue reading “Ornim Lands $20,000,000 Series C Financing”

Pawn Shops Finally Go Digital, Helping Underbanked Find Quick Cash

In May and June, the financial industries that serve low-income Americans began to change in big ways. First, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed new rules for payday lenders. The first banned lenders from withdrawing money directly from their customers’ bank accounts, while the second restricted their ability to lend by imposing credit limits. Then … Continue reading “Pawn Shops Finally Go Digital, Helping Underbanked Find Quick Cash”

Israeli-Born CyberX Nabs $9M to Guard Industrial Internet of Things

[Updated 8/3/16, 9:04 p.m., with information from the CEO.] Another Boston-area cybersecurity firm with Israeli ties is making a splash. CyberX announced Tuesday it raised $9 million from investors. The company got started in Tel Aviv in 2013 and later opened an office in California, according to a VentureBeat article from 2014. Earlier this year, the … Continue reading “Israeli-Born CyberX Nabs $9M to Guard Industrial Internet of Things”

Shire Steps Back in Hemophilia Gene Therapy Race, Scraps Baxalta Drug

When Shire bought Baxalta earlier this year, one of the programs it inherited was a treatment that, at one point, was the leader in an emerging race to treat hemophilia with gene therapy. Competition has changed the landscape significantly, however, and now Shire has tossed that program onto the scrap heap. On a conference call … Continue reading “Shire Steps Back in Hemophilia Gene Therapy Race, Scraps Baxalta Drug”

Avrobio Secures $25,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=297c854d-6eec-46d1-abdb-017aa7845777 Date 8/3/2016 Company Name Avrobio Mailing Address 400 Technology Square 10th Floor Cambridge, MA 02139 USA Company Description AVROBIO is a clinical stage company developing step-change cell and gene therapies targeting cancer and rare disease. The catalyst for creating AVROBIO is to accelerate scientific breakthroughs related to the convergence of cell … Continue reading “Avrobio Secures $25,000,000 Series A Round”

CyberX Obtains $9,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3ee35690-c84e-440a-acf8-eb787d962429 Date 8/3/2016 Company Name CyberX Mailing Address 550 Cochituate Road Framingham, MA 01701 USA Company Description Industrial networks still rely on many systems that were implemented decades ago, at a time when the risk of sophisticated attacks was very low. Website http://www.cyberx-labs.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $9,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “CyberX Obtains $9,000,000 New Round”

Medium Acquires Embedly for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cc6c779e-f74e-4aea-883f-5b1b91366c24 Date 8/3/2016 Company Name Embedly Mailing Address 205 Portland St. Boston, MA 02114 USA Company Description Embedly delivers the ultra-fast, easy to use products and tools for richer sites and apps. Website http://www.embed.ly Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the transaction were … Continue reading “Medium Acquires Embedly for Undisclosed Sum”

Empty-Handed Again, MA Noncompete Reformers Seek More Progress

After another Massachusetts legislative session ended without passage of noncompete reform, stakeholders on both sides of the issue expressed disappointment that a deal didn’t get done. It’s not the outcome anyone wanted—or so they say—but that alone is evidence of how the debate shifted during the latest attempt to make changes to the state’s rules … Continue reading “Empty-Handed Again, MA Noncompete Reformers Seek More Progress”