There are a lot of factors involved in drug pricing that don’t enter my head when I’m seeing a patient. The three letters “PBM,” for example (pharmacy benefit manager), have never crossed my mind when I’m writing a prescription. Nor has the word “rebate.” Or the phrase “pay for delay.” Or “marketing exclusivity.” Basically, I … Continue reading “How Doctors Think About Drug Prices”
Category: Boulder/Denver
Checkpoints In Lung Cancer, and Other Oncology News From Europe
The European Society for Medical Oncology’s annual conference wraps up in Copenhagen today. We’ve seen updates on heavyweight immunotherapy programs, potential options for patients with advanced breast cancer, and more. Here’s a quick roundup of the major news. LUNG CHECKS ESMO provided more evidence that the treatment of lung cancer is changing fast. Going into … Continue reading “Checkpoints In Lung Cancer, and Other Oncology News From Europe”
How Augmented Reality Is Transforming the Manufacturing Industry
For many Americans, the manufacturing industry brings to mind images of Industrial Revolution-era factories, World War II assembly lines, or perhaps even outsourced workshops overseas. But that picture is outdated. The truth is that the advanced technologies that are changing modern life are also revolutionizing the manufacturing industry in ways that are not yet widely … Continue reading “How Augmented Reality Is Transforming the Manufacturing Industry”
Bio Roundup: Theranos Cuts, Alnylam Stops, Nobel Eats Its Own & More
[Updated, 11:50 a.m. ET, see below] With the Caribbean and now the southeast U.S. coast bearing the brunt of Hurricane Matthew, we send our thoughts and more to those who have more pressing matters to worry about this week. But the show must go on. The biotech industry saw its own storms pass through, with … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Theranos Cuts, Alnylam Stops, Nobel Eats Its Own & More”
WellTok Receives $46,700,000 Series E Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=856b789b-d734-468f-b0bc-2a3e0cfbebad Date 10/7/2016 Company Name WellTok Mailing Address 1675 Larimer Street Denver, CO 80202 USA Company Description Our social platform allows health plans to rapidly participate in the health care community in a new and powerful way, thus strengthening engagement and collaboration with their members. Website http://www.welltok.com Transaction Type Venture Equity, Debt … Continue reading “WellTok Receives $46,700,000 Series E Funding Round”
RxREVU Lands $2,715,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=234242dd-5db2-4b8b-8a46-a5b89688b1cb Date 10/7/2016 Company Name RxREVU Mailing Address 1553 Platte St. Denver, CO 80202 USA Company Description RxREVU has over 6,000 cost-saving recommendations covering all of the major brand name chronic medications. The system uses twelve different cost-saving strategies to arrive at the most complete medication optimization solution available to healthcare portals … Continue reading “RxREVU Lands $2,715,000 New Financing”
Third-Quarter Report Shows Slowdown in VC Activity, & Top 10 Deals
Venture capital activity is gradually easing from last year’s peak, according to a new quarterly report put together by Seattle-based PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association. VC firms invested $14.99 billion in 1,810 U.S. deals (1,796 companies) during the third quarter that ended September 30, according to the inaugural “Venture Monitor” report released today. … Continue reading “Third-Quarter Report Shows Slowdown in VC Activity, & Top 10 Deals”
Secure Medication Systems Receives New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c7bec191-cc3f-43e0-8207-365a72ed6418 Date 10/6/2016 Company Name Secure Medication Systems Mailing Address 3711 Bald Eagle Lane Fort Collins, CO 80528 USA Company Description Designed for use in the mass retail dispensing environment, the company’s vials Safe Rx LPVs prevent pilfering, the number one source for teen prescription drug abuse nationally and the ultimate origin … Continue reading “Secure Medication Systems Receives New Financing Round”
Denver Health IT Firm Welltok Picks Up $33.7M to Push Wellness Tools
Welltok has raised a $33.7 million Series E funding round to sign up more customers and further develop its software that aims to encourage healthy habits. The Denver-based health IT company sells its software, called CaféWell, to healthcare providers, insurers, government programs like Medicaid and Medicare, and employers. Those groups use it to incentivize their … Continue reading “Denver Health IT Firm Welltok Picks Up $33.7M to Push Wellness Tools”
With New Program, DARPA To Encourage Safety “Brakes” For Gene Editing
[Updated 10/6/16, 12:17 p.m. See below.] Drugs that use molecular scissors to snip out or replace defective genes. Altered mosquitoes meant to sabotage entire disease-carrying populations. Both are potential uses of genome editing, which thanks to the CRISPR-Cas9 system has spread throughout the world’s biology labs and is now on the doorstep of the outside … Continue reading “With New Program, DARPA To Encourage Safety “Brakes” For Gene Editing”
Is Your Organization Ready to Become an Ecosystem Driver?
[This article is co-authored by Stephanie Woerner.] Dominating business-to-consumer sales, Amazon seems ready to take over the world of business-to-business too. In its first year, Amazon Business generated $1 billion in sales. However, there is still room for competition. It’s not yet an ecosystem driver in B2B, although the longer it takes for other business … Continue reading “Is Your Organization Ready to Become an Ecosystem Driver?”
Bio Roundup: CAR-T & Migraine Races, Intra-Cellular, Rockefeller & More
The presidential race captivated millions of TV viewers this week as the first debate took place in Hofstra. But biotech watchers had other races on their mind. Who will be first to market with a new type of cancer treatment known as CAR-T? Who will break free of the pack of companies developing drugs meant … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CAR-T & Migraine Races, Intra-Cellular, Rockefeller & More”
SpotRight Obtains $2,949,999 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c41e2c9b-df90-4c17-ab46-7696117d0b84 Date 9/30/2016 Company Name SpotRight Mailing Address 1909 Broadway Boulder, CO 80302 USA Company Description SpotRight’s proprietary data asset unifies your customers to their social identities, discovers their social activity and connections, and analyzes it to give you entirely new insights into their interests, influence, and social relationships. Website http://www.spotright.com Transaction … Continue reading “SpotRight Obtains $2,949,999 New Round”
Tech Giants’ Partnership To Explore Ethics, Societal Impacts of AI
With public interest in artificial intelligence technologies on the rise, five of the world’s largest corporations—vying against each other in so many spheres—are banding together to support research on the ethical and societal issues raised by machines with increasingly human-like capabilities. The Partnership on AI, formally unveiled Wednesday, includes Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, IBM, Google and … Continue reading “Tech Giants’ Partnership To Explore Ethics, Societal Impacts of AI”
Useful Systems Secures $1,274,998 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ae79d5c3-9cea-42d0-b1bd-25d1c7312d8a Date 9/29/2016 Company Name Useful Systems Mailing Address 1007 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80302 USA Company Description Mission – Develop easy to use apps that reduce expenses and increase revenue for companies that manage mobile workforces. Website http://www.usefulsystemsinc.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,274,998 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Useful Systems Secures $1,274,998 New Funding”
CeraPedics Lands $11,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4c7fbdf4-b92e-4135-a77f-f792f9d7867d Date 9/27/2016 Company Name CeraPedics Mailing Address 12860 West Cedar Drive Westminster, CO 80228 USA Company Description How i-FACTOR Bone Graft Compares to Other Bone Grafts At Cerapedics, we are focused on developing and commercializing novel osteobiologic products based on a proprietary small peptide technology (P-15) on anorganic bone mineral (ABM), … Continue reading “CeraPedics Lands $11,000,000 New Funding Round”
Catching Up with 2016 Techstars Mobility Class: What Did They Learn?
Detroit’s Techstars Mobility startup accelerator has wrapped another summer of innovating and iterating, and the 12 participating companies are now headed out into the marketplace to hustle. I caught up with managing director Ted Serbinski and the rest of the Techstars crew earlier this month—the day after they pitched investors and sang the praises of … Continue reading “Catching Up with 2016 Techstars Mobility Class: What Did They Learn?”
Cool Planet Energy Systems Lands $9,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dee26f59-cf6d-4502-957d-8a0720e32564 Date 9/26/2016 Company Name Cool Planet Energy Systems Mailing Address 6400 South Fiddlers Green Circle Greenwood Village, CO 80111 USA Company Description Cool Planet makes biochar soil enhancer CoolTerra and clean green renewable fuels. Order biochar for gardening, buy biochar for horticulture and find biochar for sale for nursery and greenhouses … Continue reading “Cool Planet Energy Systems Lands $9,000,000 New Funding”
Bio Roundup: Mylan Grilled, Duchenne Kids Thrilled, Zuck-Chan & More
Another biopharma executive went before Congress to explain drug price hikes. Unlike Martin Shkreli, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch actually answered questions. Taking heat over the EpiPen scandal, she tried to stick to her script, getting testy when legislators brought up a USA Today story about her mother helping market the life-saving anti-allergy injection to schools. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Mylan Grilled, Duchenne Kids Thrilled, Zuck-Chan & More”
Announcing Xconomy’s Agtech and Food Channel
A core tenet of Xconomy—and the reason behind our broad coverage across information technology, life sciences, energy, and more—is that the most interesting and important innovations often arise from the intersection of different disciplines. One of the most important intersections today is between agriculture, the life sciences, and information technology—as evidenced by the growing field … Continue reading “Announcing Xconomy’s Agtech and Food Channel”
Pharmaceutical Price Controls Might Be Closer Than You Think
Amid the hue and cry over the Mylan EpiPen pricing debacle, Hillary Clinton unveiled her “Plan to Respond to Unjustified Price Hikes for Long-Available Drugs.” Clinton’s plan calls for “dedicated oversight to protect consumers.” To that end she would “convene representatives of federal agencies…to create a dedicated group charged with protecting consumers from outlier price … Continue reading “Pharmaceutical Price Controls Might Be Closer Than You Think”
Workforce Trends, Economy, & More: Q&A With Alexandria’s Joel Marcus
Think “innovation” and you might picture some scrappy entrepreneurs toiling away in a kitchen or garage, hoping the landlord doesn’t notice what they’re up to. But the reality is that turning science into big business often requires far more sophisticated infrastructure—and the landlord who provides that infrastructure sometimes has one of the best windows into … Continue reading “Workforce Trends, Economy, & More: Q&A With Alexandria’s Joel Marcus”
Colorado’s Webroot Buys CyberFlow Analytics, Expands in San Diego
Not long after ViaSat (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VSAT]]) acquired San Diego-based LonoCloud in 2013, former LonoCloud executives Tom Caldwell and Hossein Eslambolchi met for coffee at the Specialty’s Café and Bakery in University City. Eslambolchi, who had served as a LonoCloud advisor and CEO, told Caldwell he had an idea for a cybersecurity startup that would use … Continue reading “Colorado’s Webroot Buys CyberFlow Analytics, Expands in San Diego”
Guild Education Garners $8,500,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3fd4bfe7-7c73-48f1-aa44-8f0ef3995707 Date 9/19/2016 Company Name Guild Education Mailing Address 999 18th St. Denver, CO 80202 USA Company Description With online classes, programs, and accredited college degrees for working adults, Guild offers flexible, focused and trusted education pathways to provide career advancement opportunities. Website http://www.guildeducation.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $8,500,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Guild Education Garners $8,500,000 Series A Round”
Survey: Tech Startup Leaders Want Diversity, Not Sure How to Reach It
Tech startup leaders “want to create an inclusive and diverse workforce, but many simply don’t know what to do to build inclusive teams.” That’s how Techstars co-founder and co-CEO David Cohen put it in a blog post earlier this week summarizing the results of a survey of 680 startup founders and top executives, mainly of … Continue reading “Survey: Tech Startup Leaders Want Diversity, Not Sure How to Reach It”
Biotech Roundup: CRISPR’s 3rd IPO, Gender Diversity, Buyouts & More
Across the nation, and even looking back into the past, health was in the headlines this week. Our presidential candidates were either recovering from pneumonia or talking up their health records. New documents came to light that showed the sugar industry paid for studies downplaying the ties between sugar and heart disease. And the drug-price … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: CRISPR’s 3rd IPO, Gender Diversity, Buyouts & More”
What Startups Can Do About Cyber Attacks
A cybersecurity report by Ponemon Institute, in association with Keeper Security, found that in the 12 months leading up to June 2016, 55 percent of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) experienced a cyber attack, while 50 percent encountered data breaches involving customer and employee information. These statistics belie the common notion that cybercriminals attack only … Continue reading “What Startups Can Do About Cyber Attacks”
How to Teach Computational Thinking
Computational thinking is going to be a defining feature of the future—and it’s an incredibly important thing to be teaching to kids today. There’s always lots of discussion (and concern) about how to teach traditional mathematical thinking to kids. But looking to the future, this pales in comparison to the importance of teaching computational thinking. … Continue reading “How to Teach Computational Thinking”
How We Won $50,000 in SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Contest
Recently, the student accelerator program mystartupXX, a joint program of UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management and the Jacobs School of Engineering, won a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Growth Accelerator Fund Competition winner. We were one of 68 winners announced Aug. 31 in the nationwide contest. This was … Continue reading “How We Won $50,000 in SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Contest”
Bio Roundup: Cancer Wishes and Shopping Lists, Allergan Pricing & More
[Corrected, 9/12/16, 4:28 p.m. See below.] What do cancer experts want? The moon, perhaps. As part of the Obama administration’s “cancer moonshot” program, a panel of scientists this week presented a set of broad, ambitious recommendations to speed up the pace of cancer research, treatment, and prevention. The scientific goals, writ large, included nationwide data … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Cancer Wishes and Shopping Lists, Allergan Pricing & More”
Tyler Jacks, Cancer Moonshot Panel Co-Chair, Discusses Roadmap
The Obama administration wants to speed up cancer research with its “Cancer Moonshot” program—packing 10 years’ worth of work on prevention and treatment programs into five is one of its rallying cries. Agreeing on what to do, and how to do it, is the first step. The FDA agreed this summer to reorganize the way … Continue reading “Tyler Jacks, Cancer Moonshot Panel Co-Chair, Discusses Roadmap”
Dizzion Secures $6,400,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d45e1b8e-5523-42cc-96f3-e32831e70c10 Date 9/9/2016 Company Name Dizzion Mailing Address 600 17th Street Denver, CO 80202 USA Company Description Dizzion brings the power of cloud computing to the desktop with hosted VDI, Cloud Delivered Desktops and streaming applications. Website http://www.dizzion.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,400,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes The … Continue reading “Dizzion Secures $6,400,000 Series A Funding”
The Power of Polymers
Throughout history, innovative humans have developed technology to overcome or adapt to challenges in the natural world. As it turns out, some of our most important advances were actually inspired by a naturally occurring group of materials: polymers. Derived from Greek words meaning “many parts,” the word polymer refers to a large molecule composed of … Continue reading “The Power of Polymers”
GoSpotCheck Receives $16,500,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=36abffa6-0c27-4445-97c5-7d2597985040 Date 9/8/2016 Company Name GoSpotCheck Mailing Address 1520 Market Street Denver, CO 80202 USA Company Description Based on GPS location, team members are assigned nearby missions to complete reports and capture photos in the field via smartphone and tablet data collection apps to increase efficiencies. Website http://www.gospotcheck.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “GoSpotCheck Receives $16,500,000 Series B Funding Round”
Immunotherapy Clinical Tests Spur Hope, and Plenty of Headaches
Thanks to remarkable results in a small group of patients, including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, cancer immunotherapy has spurred talk of once impossible-to-imagine cures and has gained its share, perhaps more than its share, of hype. But immunotherapy is also creating new challenges and exacerbating old ones for doctors, patients, and researchers. These new … Continue reading “Immunotherapy Clinical Tests Spur Hope, and Plenty of Headaches”
Overcoming the Cybersecurity Skills Gap
For several years now, the “cybersecurity skills gap” has been a top challenge for organizations. The statistics are well-vetted, and they tell a clear story: —There are many unfilled security jobs: The industry is facing 1.5 million unfilled IT security jobs globally by 2020. —The hiring problem is getting harder to figure out: Ninety-two percent of businesses say it’s … Continue reading “Overcoming the Cybersecurity Skills Gap”
Bio Roundup: RIP Roger Tsien, Novartis CAR-T Wheel, Zika News & More
A man who helped shed light—fluorescent light—on biology died far too early, at the age of 64. Nobel Prize winner Roger Tsien, a UC San Diego chemist, passed away in Oregon this week. No cause of death has been announced. He helped turn a jellyfish protein into an invaluable lab tool that every researcher knows … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: RIP Roger Tsien, Novartis CAR-T Wheel, Zika News & More”
LogRhythm Lands $50,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=acb080a0-52fc-4a93-be8e-f149fdc34eb0 Date 8/31/2016 Company Name LogRhythm Mailing Address 4780 Pearl East Circle Boulder, CO 80301 USA Company Description LogRhythm’s comprehensive log management and analysis software helps companies to efficiently comply with government regulations, secure their networks and optimize their IT infrastructure. Website http://www.logrhythm.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $50,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “LogRhythm Lands $50,000,000 New Round”
Four Ways to Stay Safe While Using Public Wi-Fi
No matter how hard we try to unplug on vacation, most of us simply don’t—or can’t—disconnect. The availability of free Wi-Fi is sometimes too hard to resist. While we’re in a carefree state of mind, it’s especially easy to bend the rules. Even when using Wi-Fi at a familiar business, you could be putting your … Continue reading “Four Ways to Stay Safe While Using Public Wi-Fi”
More Options: LogRhythm Rakes In $50M to Boost Cybersecurity Tech
LogRhythm, a Boulder, CO-based cybersecurity firm, wrapped up a $50 million round of financing Tuesday, Aug. 30, inching the tech company closer to a highly anticipated IPO. The latest round brings the company’s total fundraising figure to about $120 million, according to Matt Winter, vice president of corporate and business development at LogRhythm. “I think this … Continue reading “More Options: LogRhythm Rakes In $50M to Boost Cybersecurity Tech”
The XX Factor: Fixing Biotech’s Gender Imbalance in the C-Suite
Women continue to be vastly under-represented in management and executive-level positions throughout the life science industry—an inequity that came into the spotlight earlier this year when a biotech consulting firm hired female models to improve the male-female ratio at its convention after-party. The catalyzing event sparked a much-needed debate into a serious challenge that has … Continue reading “The XX Factor: Fixing Biotech’s Gender Imbalance in the C-Suite”
Bio Roundup: Mylan’s Shock, Hillary’s 3%, Duchenne Lessons & More
It was the tweet heard around the biotech world, again. Mylan bumped up the price of the EpiPen 400 percent, presidential nominee Hillary Clinton responded with a tirade against drug price hikes, and—much like when Clinton railed against drug pricing last year—biotech indexes promptly plummeted more than 3 percent. Last year, Clinton’s target was Martin … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Mylan’s Shock, Hillary’s 3%, Duchenne Lessons & More”
Duchenne Lessons: Advocates For Rare Spinal Disease Have Eyes on FDA
[Updated, 1:09 pm ET, see below] Heather and Jessica Tomko will tell you that they’re nothing alike. They’ve got different interests, different tastes in movies, television, and music. If Jessica hates a gift, Heather probably loves it. Heather just scored tickets to see the Broadway show Hamilton and can’t wait. Jessica sighs. “You can’t get … Continue reading “Duchenne Lessons: Advocates For Rare Spinal Disease Have Eyes on FDA”
Who’s to Blame for Inflated Health Insurance Costs?
How often would you go to the doctor if you had to pay for a big chunk out of pocket—or how about if it was completely free? The amount of health care we consume depends on how good our health insurance is. Now, two economists, David Powell and Dana Goldman, have looked at what factors … Continue reading “Who’s to Blame for Inflated Health Insurance Costs?”
In Wake Of Infamous Biotech Party, 20 Women Join New Exec Training
[Updated 8/24/16, 1 a.m. See below.] A new program to prepare high-ranking women in the biotech industry for corporate board seats has unveiled its first class of 20. In other circumstances the five-day workshop, scheduled this fall at George Washington University in the nation’s capital, might go unnoticed among the sea of executive training programs … Continue reading “In Wake Of Infamous Biotech Party, 20 Women Join New Exec Training”
Why Resilient Teams Are More Important Than Big Ideas
How important is having a “big idea” for startups? Ideas can generate a lot of buzz and capture attention from investors and potential customers, but long-term success really depends on the capabilities of the team. It’s often said that investors typically look for an “A” team with a “B” idea rather than a “B” team … Continue reading “Why Resilient Teams Are More Important Than Big Ideas”
How a War on Climate Change Could Restore Economic Growth in America
What’s the biggest, scariest threat facing the United States right now? I know for sure that it’s not immigration, free trade, or “radical Islamic terrorism.” And I’m going to resist the easy answer that it’s Donald Trump. But I have a hard time deciding which of these two very real challenges is more urgent: a) … Continue reading “How a War on Climate Change Could Restore Economic Growth in America”
Intelligence + Maturity = Better Leaders
There are plenty of smart executives in the world, but they often make poor leaders. That’s because it takes both intelligence and maturity to excel at leadership. And when I say maturity, I don’t necessarily mean age, although generally more life experience is helpful. Maturity is the ability to manage oneself in challenging situations and to … Continue reading “Intelligence + Maturity = Better Leaders”
A Window Opens For Federal Financial Aid at Edtech Programs Within Colleges
This week brought some encouraging news for educational technology companies and code schools, whose students often can’t qualify for federal grants and loans. The Obama administration is moving ahead with an experiment that makes federal student aid available for a small number of degree or certificate programs offered through partnerships between established higher education institutions … Continue reading “A Window Opens For Federal Financial Aid at Edtech Programs Within Colleges”
Bio Roundup: FDA Says No, PCSK9 Value Fight, CRISPR Intrigue & More
When the Olympics roll around, many watchers get into a sport they previously hadn’t thought much about. This time for me, it’s volleyball. The men’s and women’s games, both indoor and beach versions, are fast, aggressive, with lightning-quick adjustments and subtle teamwork required every time a ball is dug out and popped in the air. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: FDA Says No, PCSK9 Value Fight, CRISPR Intrigue & More”