Boulder/Denver – Page 27

Thong Le: Biotech Thoughts On Pitches, Prices, Diversity, And Stress

Thong Le is the CEO of Accelerator, a Seattle biotech venture fund and incubator more than a decade old. Le took over in early 2014 and is overseeing a cross-country expansion. A second Accelerator facility opened with fanfare in New York City a year and a half ago. Le said at the time that Accelerator … Continue reading “Thong Le: Biotech Thoughts On Pitches, Prices, Diversity, And Stress”

Virtual Reality’s Turning Points In 2015

Among the most significant developments in VR this year have been the rate of change and improvement in mobile VR. Until recently, compelling VR experiences required a high-powered PC, considerable technical know-how, and were enjoyed only by enthusiasts and early adopters. Now there are mobile solutions that deliver a comparable level of quality, but are … Continue reading “Virtual Reality’s Turning Points In 2015”

Time to Bring Our Education System in Line with the 21st Century

The most pressing issue facing the innovation community is the lack of a robust tech talent pipeline to support emerging new enterprises and to help legacy industries adapt. While other countries are developing workers with skills to compete in the 21th century, our country’s education system remains stuck in the 20th. Not only do public education programs lack … Continue reading “Time to Bring Our Education System in Line with the 21st Century”

In the Face of Genomic Data Challenges, the Cloud Keeps Us Afloat

The data intensity of genomics is so intense that it’s difficult for most people to comprehend. According to estimates published in the journal PLOS Biology in July, as many as 2 billion human genomes could be sequenced by 2025, which would far exceed the data output expected of other “big data domains,” such as astronomy, … Continue reading “In the Face of Genomic Data Challenges, the Cloud Keeps Us Afloat”

Infrastructure Investments Are Key to U.S. Future

The issue that makes me most angry is the lack of investment in the infrastructure of the United States. From roads to mass transit to science to education, we are falling behind (or further behind) other regions. It’s a false economy, as lack of investment now means less capability to generate returns in the future. … Continue reading “Infrastructure Investments Are Key to U.S. Future”

Innovation vs. Healthcare Spending: Biotech’s Biggest Looming Challenge

Let’s start with the good news. We are at the beginning of a transformation in human health, treating diseases in ways that we could only speculate about in the recent past. While biology isn’t quite engineering (yet), biotech has become a technology-based, high-growth, high-wage space, all while working to cure cancer. Doing well by doing … Continue reading “Innovation vs. Healthcare Spending: Biotech’s Biggest Looming Challenge”

Five Cybersecurity Trends to Watch in 2016

To no one’s surprise, cybersecurity continued to be a key area of concern and struggle among organizations of all sizes in 2015. However, buried amongst the constant news cycle of new attacks and sophisticated breaches is the fact that more business leaders are understanding the importance of cybersecurity and its potential impact on the organization. … Continue reading “Five Cybersecurity Trends to Watch in 2016”

Pharmabros, Designer Babies, And Other Final Words For 2015

Every three months, Oxford Dictionaries releases its new entries, and modern language mavens everywhere have a field day. A few of my favorites from the summer update: weak sauce, microaggression, cupcakery, and at the risk of perpetuating wholly unfair stereotypes about journalists, beer o’clock. With that, I kick off my final column of 2015, a … Continue reading “Pharmabros, Designer Babies, And Other Final Words For 2015”

Finding Gratification in the Lessons Learned Along the Journey

During the downturn in 2000, when the dot com became dot bomb, I had to take a job that was a few levels below my expectations, but right in line with my actual life experiences. My boss and mentor at the time told me about his experiences in war and asked me to watch “Band … Continue reading “Finding Gratification in the Lessons Learned Along the Journey”

The Scientist and the Student: Thoughts on Lessons Learned From a Mentor

What is a key relationship or turning point that helped you get to where you are today? This is a great question. I suspect because it comes up so often in interviews, we tend to underplay the importance of the topic. We get familiar with the answer and over time, lose the tacit feel for … Continue reading “The Scientist and the Student: Thoughts on Lessons Learned From a Mentor”

Hyprloco Obtains $350,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=799646d6-6a49-4264-bd19-855839084d44 Date 12/24/2015 Company Name Hyprloco Mailing Address 1408 Wazee St. Denver, CO 80202 USA Company Description HyprLoco powers intelligent environments. A veteran founded company; we are dedicated to making the world better by making your world, smarter. HyprLoco uses the context of location data and combines that with aggregated background data … Continue reading “Hyprloco Obtains $350,000 New Financing”

Bought by NetApp for $870M, Here’s Where SolidFire Came From

One of the year’s biggest tech acquisitions has a pretty interesting—and short—history. Boulder, CO-based SolidFire, a maker of data-storage systems, was acquired this week by Silicon Valley giant NetApp (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NTAP]]) for $870 million in cash. SolidFire was formed in 2009 and only began selling its flash-storage drives in 2012, according to a report in … Continue reading “Bought by NetApp for $870M, Here’s Where SolidFire Came From”

Denver-based Faction Doubles Down on Expansion After $6M Round

For Faction, a Denver-based company that offers private, public, and hybrid cloud computing services, running over budget has been a good thing, according to CEO and founder Luke Norris. Faction exceeded its revenue and growth targets for the year—and likely will again next year—partly because the company has added more customers than it expected, Norris … Continue reading “Denver-based Faction Doubles Down on Expansion After $6M Round”

Location Everywhere: What We’ll See in 2016

2016 is going to be a pivotal year for location- and proximity-based technology solutions. Companies across industries are testing the deployment of location aware infrastructures, opening up a world of possibilities. Location technology adoption will likely mirror that of social networks over the past 10 years. On balance, and with good direction, location-enabled experiences are … Continue reading “Location Everywhere: What We’ll See in 2016”

MJ Freeway Receives $8,000,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=618b73dc-700d-4e38-93ba-ba62d0948187 Date 12/23/2015 Company Name MJ Freeway Mailing Address 1601 Arapahoe St. Denver, CO 80202 USA Company Description MJ Freeway is your solution to run a successful cannabis business. With industry-leading software & professional services, you can maximize your efficiency, saving time & money. Meet or exceed any State or Federal requirement … Continue reading “MJ Freeway Receives $8,000,000 Series B Round”

Five Trends Ready to Disrupt In-Store Retail in 2016

With 2015 coming to a close, retailers are looking ahead for the next wave of technology that will impact in-store innovation. While we’re still waiting for some popular 2015 predictions to take off, including the merging of online recommendation engines with in-store visits, other trends such as e-commerce sites opening more brick and mortar locations … Continue reading “Five Trends Ready to Disrupt In-Store Retail in 2016”

The Big Value Creation Trend of 2015: Q&A with Jonathan Medved

When OurCrowd founder and CEO Jonathan Medved gives a talk about crowdfunding, as he did at the recent Stocktoberfest conference in San Diego, there is one particular slide in his deck that is something of a show stopper. Medved says it is the one slide that tells the whole story—explaining in one bar chart why … Continue reading “The Big Value Creation Trend of 2015: Q&A with Jonathan Medved”

NetApp Acquires SolidFire for $870,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c8902e93-39d1-40eb-b4c6-5f96c1d73e34 Date 12/22/2015 Company Name SolidFire Mailing Address 1620 Pearl St. Boulder, CO 80302 USA Company Description Atlanta-based SolidFire is a next-generation storage platform for cloud computing providers and other enterprises that need scalable, reliable storage for thousands of servers. The Company’s solution allows customers to take advantage of the performance of … Continue reading “NetApp Acquires SolidFire for $870,000,000”

Patient Investors, Impatient Researchers Essential for Clean Energy Future

Maybe it’s something in the Seattle air that we share, but over the last few weeks, I’ve learned that Bill Gates and I worry about similar things. In interviews with The Atlantic and The Washington Post Gates said: “Historically, it takes more than 50 years before you have a substantial shift in energy generation, but … Continue reading “Patient Investors, Impatient Researchers Essential for Clean Energy Future”

The Best Podcasts of 2015: A Guide for New Listeners

The percentage of Americans who say they’ve never listened to a podcast is steadily shrinking, but it’s still pretty large — 67 percent, according to a 2015 survey by Edison Research and Triton Digital. I’m going to assume for a minute that you’re in this uninitiated group. You know what podcasts are, and you’re vaguely … Continue reading “The Best Podcasts of 2015: A Guide for New Listeners”

Digital Business, Data-Driven Consumers, and the Dark Web

It’s that time of year again, where we look ahead to determine what tech trends will make the most significant impact in 2016. From my view, data analytics and our digital way of life will increasingly transform the world and the nature of business. Here are a few ways I see that playing out in … Continue reading “Digital Business, Data-Driven Consumers, and the Dark Web”

The Day After His Arrest, Martin Shkreli Is Out At Turing Pharma

Martin Shkreli was arrested for securities fraud yesterday, and today he has one fewer business to run. Turing Pharmaceuticals announced this morning Shkreli has resigned his post as CEO. His departure from Turing marks the second time he has built a company, only to leave under no small amount of controversy. The federal government is … Continue reading “The Day After His Arrest, Martin Shkreli Is Out At Turing Pharma”

Contact Management Software Maker FullContact Buys Dallas’s nGame

FullContact, a Denver-based software company, announced Thursday it has bought nGame, a Dallas-area marketing tech startup. FullContact makes software that takes data from address books and contact lists people keep in apps like Gmail, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Its selling point is that it handles the work of consolidating and cleaning up messy address books … Continue reading “Contact Management Software Maker FullContact Buys Dallas’s nGame”

Health Startups That Could Make My Job Easier

It’s remarkable how just six months of 80-hour weeks has changed me. Before I started my first year of residency last July, I was optimistic and excited about all sorts of healthcare startups. But now I can’t remember the last time I did my laundry and I’m just hoping to make it home from the … Continue reading “Health Startups That Could Make My Job Easier”

Faction Obtains $6,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0a38e557-85e2-4d77-a9f2-6dffa7ff8940 Date 12/16/2015 Company Name Faction Mailing Address 1660 Lincoln St. Denver, CO 80264 USA Company Description Faction (formerly Peak), started in 2006 as an inspired, Cloud IAAS collective, populated by some of the most award-winning IT engineers and thought leaders in the cloud computing industry. Website http://www.factioninc.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction … Continue reading “Faction Obtains $6,000,000 New Round”

Datavail Receives $47,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=90e0058a-b0ec-42d4-9c29-b5084dfbd9b8 Date 12/16/2015 Company Name Datavail Mailing Address 11800 Ridge Parkway Broomfield, CO 80021 USA Company Description At Datavail, you will find the flexibility and personal focus of a boutique database consultancy, delivering the excellence and professionalism you would expect to see in the largest outsourcers in the world with lower-cost, labor … Continue reading “Datavail Receives $47,000,000 New Round”

London Notebook: Conversations Inside The Biomedical Golden Triangle

Xconomy had reporters in eight locales when I joined in the spring of 2014. Since then, we have expanded into Texas and North Carolina, adding two more locales where we cover the life sciences and much more. We’re always looking for the next place to put down roots. One big place on our radar is … Continue reading “London Notebook: Conversations Inside The Biomedical Golden Triangle”

Austin, Denver Score High in U.S. List of Software Engineer Pay

If you are a software engineer, you are in demand. This you know. What you may not know is how your salary stacks up to that of your peers around the country. For that, I present to you the State of U.S. Salaries Report, courtesy of a San Francisco company called Hired. To no one’s … Continue reading “Austin, Denver Score High in U.S. List of Software Engineer Pay”

Your Startup Should Try a Switchback Strategy

When it comes to startup strategies, many entrepreneurs assume there is one optimal path. They may need to experiment or “pivot” initially among alternatives, but once they fix on an ideal strategy they simply need to execute. For example, a startup attempting to commercialize a new technology faces the strategic choice of whether to “go … Continue reading “Your Startup Should Try a Switchback Strategy”

Melody Health Receives $3,800,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2ae14bec-8a37-43a0-a012-b29c1b3b89e7 Date 12/9/2015 Company Name Melody Health Mailing Address Undisclosed Denver, CO 80204 USA Company Description Melody Health Insurance is built from the ground up specifically for today’s health insurance environment–focused on individual consumers and designed to be efficient, different and connected through innovative and best-of-breed technology and services. Website http://www.melodyhealthinsurance.com Transaction … Continue reading “Melody Health Receives $3,800,000 New Funding Round”

Prieto Battery Lands $120,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a525066e-392d-4994-9290-dc514b8c1dec Date 12/9/2015 Company Name Prieto Battery Mailing Address 4227 Lookout Lane Fort Collins, CO 80526 USA Company Description Life and technology move so quickly these days that current battery technology can hardly keep up. While the electronic devices that power our lives get exponentially smarter, the batteries that power them improve … Continue reading “Prieto Battery Lands $120,000 New Financing”

At Hematological Meeting, More Than Just Biotech Data Runs Blood Red

[Editor’s note: Deputy Biotechnology Editor Ben Fidler co-wrote this story.] The annual American Society for Hematology meeting, held this year in Orlando, FL, ends today. The meeting is a showcase for new data, drugs, and approaches to treat cancers like leukemia, rare genetic diseases, and other maladies that originate in or otherwise affect blood. But … Continue reading “At Hematological Meeting, More Than Just Biotech Data Runs Blood Red”

Younity Raises $8M to Build Out “Personal Cloud” for Unifying Media

Younity, a San Diego media startup developing “personal cloud” technology, said it has raised $8 million in a Series A round of venture funding led by Marker, a New York-based venture capital and growth equity firm. Tim Draper’s Draper Associates and PROfounders Capital also participated in the round, which brought total funding for the company … Continue reading “Younity Raises $8M to Build Out “Personal Cloud” for Unifying Media”

ThinkTank Lands $20,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ee5872b8-e70a-4976-99e8-0475255124fd Date 12/8/2015 Company Name ThinkTank Mailing Address 1433 17th Street Denver, CO 80202 USA Company Description At ThinkTank, we believe the world is ready for a new kind of leadership that unlocks the potential inside everyone. And so we are developing systems, insights, and communities that advance our understanding of the … Continue reading “ThinkTank Lands $20,000,000 Series A Financing”

2016: The Year We Give Shoppers What They Want

This time of year, all eyes in e-commerce are heavily focused on 2016 strategies for growing sales, keeping customers happy, and expanding channels. Consumer shopping behaviors are shifting too, forcing brands and retailers to be even more agile, though they’re currently struggling just to keep up. There is a disconnect in the industry between how … Continue reading “2016: The Year We Give Shoppers What They Want”

Introducing Xconomy’s New Fintech Channel

Whether you think Apple Pay or bitcoins, lending or mobile banking, not to mention new ways to protect our financial information, a revolution is underway when it comes to the technology behind finance. What’s more, this revolution is playing out all over the country—not just in the financial hubs of New York or Silicon Valley … Continue reading “Introducing Xconomy’s New Fintech Channel”

CommercialTribe Secures $6,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7ec04f5a-daff-4caa-b866-9c021e67cea0 Date 12/4/2015 Company Name CommercialTribe Mailing Address 1444 Wazee St. Denver, CO 80202 USA Company Description The process of sales training hasn’t meaningfully changed since Dale Carnegie introduced his approach in 1937. And while billions of dollars are being invested annually, sales training effectiveness remains questionable with little measurable improvement in … Continue reading “CommercialTribe Secures $6,000,000 New Funding Round”

Gene Edit Summit Leaders Stop Shy Of Call To Ban Germline Changes

No call for a ban. No moratorium. But the scientists and ethicists who convened this week’s once-in-a-generation summit in Washington, DC, say that the practice of editing human DNA in a way that can be passed to future generations is “irresponsible” until there’s a body of evidence that it is safe, that it works, and … Continue reading “Gene Edit Summit Leaders Stop Shy Of Call To Ban Germline Changes”

Welltok Bolsters Growth With $45M Funding, Silverlink Acquisition

Health IT company Welltok is capping a busy two-year streak of acquisitions and financing with another deal. The Denver-based maker of software that aims to keep users healthy is acquiring Burlington, MA-based Silverlink Communications for an undisclosed price. Welltok has raised a $45 million round of venture capital to help make the deal happen. The … Continue reading “Welltok Bolsters Growth With $45M Funding, Silverlink Acquisition”

younity Secures $8,000,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=38a4a847-796e-471a-b794-17aceb1472b4 Date 12/3/2015 Company Name younity Mailing Address 1035 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80302 USA Company Description younity lets you access all your music, videos, photos and documents from anywhere. Website http://www.getyounity.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $8,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes With this new funding, younity will continue … Continue reading “younity Secures $8,000,000 Series A Funding Round”

WellTok Obtains $45,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0a0006d4-bf2c-48da-8e7b-3843326ea14d Date 12/3/2015 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 Transaction … Continue reading “WellTok Obtains $45,000,000 New Funding”

What Three Biotechs Could Tell Us About The Pfizer-Allergan Merger

The long-speculated Pfizer-Allergan merger, announced last week with a $160 billion price tag, is officially in motion and lurching toward inevitability. Inevitability doesn’t equal certainty for many involved in the deal. Tens of thousands of employees could potentially get the axe, while dozens of smaller companies partnered with the two behemoths wait to see if … Continue reading “What Three Biotechs Could Tell Us About The Pfizer-Allergan Merger”

The Power of Big Data for Startups

These days, the National Football League, BMW, and Uber have something in common — they’re all experimenting with big data in exciting new ways. The NFL is using big data to help football fans track how fast and how far their favorite players sprint during a game. BMW is using big data to help drivers … Continue reading “The Power of Big Data for Startups”

Revolar Receives $3,000,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e3303e7d-7797-4356-aec8-faa347803efe Date 12/1/2015 Company Name Revolar Mailing Address Undisclosed Denver, CO 80206 USA Company Description Revolar is the latest innovation in personal safety. If you are ever in danger or feel uncomfortable, simply press the button on your Revolar device and an alert message with your real time location information will be … Continue reading “Revolar Receives $3,000,000 Seed Round”

Marijuana Marketplace Tradiv Finds a Home in Boulder

As marijuana becomes increasingly mainstream, the online marketplace is becoming the potrepreneur’s next frontier. Enter Colorado’s online marijuana wholesaler, Tradiv.com. Within a year of operating, the company has received $1 million from investors to launch its website and hire new employees, increasing its full-time staff to nine people. “We’re like Amazon for marijuana wholesalers,” said … Continue reading “Marijuana Marketplace Tradiv Finds a Home in Boulder”

Rachio Garners $7,100,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=51ab3fb7-ccf4-4ff9-9630-278e16ec9d3a Date 11/25/2015 Company Name Rachio Mailing Address 1435 Stuart Street Denver, CO 80204 USA Company Description Our products represent a shift in the way people can interact with one of their most precious assets, their yard. Website http://www.rach.io Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,100,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Rachio Garners $7,100,000 New Round”

BiOptix Diagnostics Secures $1,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d835a7c7-91bd-438e-9d11-c666ce03e747 Date 11/24/2015 Company Name BiOptix Diagnostics Mailing Address 1775 38th St. Boulder, CO 80301 USA Company Description The company’s mission is to develop its proprietary E-SPR (Enhanced Surface Plasmon Resonance) technology platform for the detection of molecular interactions. Website http://www.bioptix.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “BiOptix Diagnostics Secures $1,000,000 New Financing Round”

Small Molecules: The Silent Majority of Pharmaceutical Pipelines

The pharmaceutical industry is constantly evolving. There always seem to be new, innovative therapeutic approaches emerging that capture our imagination and advance our ability to make a difference in the lives of patients. Take, for example, T-cell therapy for cancer, microbiome therapies, and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, each of which could potentially have a significant impact … Continue reading “Small Molecules: The Silent Majority of Pharmaceutical Pipelines”