If you’re building a startup, chances are that you’re aspiring to innovate – to create something new or do something differently. In fact, innovation and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. However, many startups unwittingly create obstacles that hamper innovation in their organization. What are some of those obstacles and how can you avoid them? Fear … Continue reading “Five Obstacles That Impede Startup Innovation”
Category: Boulder/Denver
Milestones of Innovation 9: Early Bird On Station
Fifty years ago, on June 28, 1965, an exotic device named Early Bird made it possible to transmit an uninterrupted live television show across the Atlantic from Europe to America or vice versa. This event, a landmark on the way to today’s interconnected world, happened less than 40 years after the first radio-telephone conversations between … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 9: Early Bird On Station”
Out of the Digital Health Fog, More Investments Are Coming in 2015
Venture capitalists have been talking up the rewards of digital health for some time now, and we are certainly putting our money where our mouth is. Record-breaking dollars continue to flow into health care IT startups. According to Rock Health, digital health saw over $4B in funding in 2014, more than doubling funding from 2013 … Continue reading “Out of the Digital Health Fog, More Investments Are Coming in 2015”
How Your Startup Can Run With Unicorns
Have you noticed those unicorns outside your office? Recently, there’s been an uptick in the all-important $1 billion “unicorn” valuation for startups in the tech industry. In the VC-funded startup community, the young companies receiving such valuations are in the media daily. When an entrepreneur considers her unicorn counterparts, it’s not hard to see why … Continue reading “How Your Startup Can Run With Unicorns”
Conga Garners $70,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ff95c7f0-46c5-49d2-acb0-9bbd932cd26c Date 6/26/2015 Company Name Conga Mailing Address 385 Interlocken Crescent Broomfield, CO 80021 USA Company Description Conga® is the developer of the Conga Suite of cloud-based document generation and reporting applications for Salesforce®. The company was founded in 2006 by Mark Whiteside and Michael Markham to solve a problem – How … Continue reading “Conga Garners $70,000,000 New Financing Round”
Library High: San Francisco Public Library Offers Online Diploma With Cengage
[Corrected 6/26/15, 9:32 am. See below.] Educational technology is often cast as a solution to the high cost of a college degree, which Americans see as the essential gateway to reasonable earnings. But in San Francisco, which has one of the most highly educated populations in the country, more than 30,000 people over 25 lack … Continue reading “Library High: San Francisco Public Library Offers Online Diploma With Cengage”
The Decade Of The Brain: 25 Years Later
My phone rang late in the day on a pleasant fall afternoon. It was a close friend and business associate of mine and, because we talk often enough about a whole variety of things, I didn’t think for a moment about not answering. I rarely talk about my days as a practicing physician, and it’s … Continue reading “The Decade Of The Brain: 25 Years Later”
Levels Beyond Lands $2,000,002 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c32dc5d3-4b1b-468e-9d89-f3d48ba3650c Date 6/25/2015 Company Name Levels Beyond Mailing Address 2710 Walnut Street Denver, CO 80205 USA Company Description Levels Beyond is a group of media workflow experts and software engineers focused on simplifying the world of video management and distribution. The team spent years consulting and developing middleware and custom solutions that … Continue reading “Levels Beyond Lands $2,000,002 New Funding Round”
Introducing Exome, Xconomy’s New Home For Biotech and Health Coverage
By now you’ve had a day or two to meet Exome, Xconomy’s new place for all things life sciences, health, and biotech, which launched Monday. Let me amend that. Some things are new, which I’ll get to in a moment, but some things remain the same: the reporting and analysis you expect from me, Ben … Continue reading “Introducing Exome, Xconomy’s New Home For Biotech and Health Coverage”
Surefire Medical Receives $11,047,356 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a4eabfa9-021a-44ed-989a-075c03f74184 Date 6/24/2015 Company Name Surefire Medical Mailing Address 6272 W. 91st Avenue Westminster, CO 80031 USA Company Description The Surefire Infusion System is designed to precisely deliver embolic agents through the sophisticated expandable tip portion of its catheter. Website http://www.surefiremedical.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $11,047,356 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Surefire Medical Receives $11,047,356 New Financing”
Biodesix Receives $11,000,000 Series E Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8562ba6a-d0c6-4930-b85d-162f0484de75 Date 6/24/2015 Company Name Biodesix Mailing Address 2970 Wilderness Place Boulder, CO 80301 USA Company Description Biodesix was founded in 2005 to apply the principles of complex data analysis and mass spectrometry (MS) to the discovery and development of improved multivariate tests that give physicians better information to understand the patient … Continue reading “Biodesix Receives $11,000,000 Series E Round”
U.S. IPO Activity Loses Steam to PE Deals in First Half of 2015
In the strange times category of today’s innovation news, a preview of IPO activity through the first half of 2015 suggests that market bubbles don’t always rise. In fact, the total number of IPO deals and proceeds actually sank through the first half of 2015, with 101 IPOs raising total proceeds of $19.7 billion, according … Continue reading “U.S. IPO Activity Loses Steam to PE Deals in First Half of 2015”
Accera Pivots From Medical Foods to Potential Drug for Alzheimer’s
The war against Alzheimer’s disease has been a brutal, losing fight. Those stricken with the disease, their loved ones, and their doctors are on the front lines every day, but the battles researchers and drug companies fight behind the scenes in labs also have led to virtually no victories. Accera, an early stage drug company … Continue reading “Accera Pivots From Medical Foods to Potential Drug for Alzheimer’s”
Houston Dares to Challenge the Bicoastal Model of Biotech Growth
World-class universities, prominent medical institutions, a talented workforce, access to capital and favorable geography are critical factors required to stimulate and support a dynamic regional bioscience industry. Some might believe that these factors only converge along the coasts of New England and California, and many new and growing biotech companies may feel that they are … Continue reading “Houston Dares to Challenge the Bicoastal Model of Biotech Growth”
Welcome To The Sharing Economy. Cancer Researchers Are Next.
We’re sharing everything these days. Rides. Spare rooms. Pictures of things wrapped in bacon. Our thoughts, 24 hours a day. Next up: Cancer data? It can’t come soon enough for Charles Sawyers. Sawyers is one of the world’s most decorated cancer researchers, and his long resumé includes crucial work that helped make imatinib (Gleevec) one … Continue reading “Welcome To The Sharing Economy. Cancer Researchers Are Next.”
Where the Red Book Meets the Unicorn
Mike Stonebraker – my partner, friend, and winner of the 2014 A.M. Turing Award – has been on the cutting edge of modern database research, development, and deployment for over 40 years. The cutting edge … for 40 years. Mike was the main architect, starting in the 1970s through the 1990s, of many systems that … Continue reading “Where the Red Book Meets the Unicorn”
25 Years in Biotech
That is a sobering headline to write. Twenty-five years ago at this time of year, I was graduating from college with no job, a pretty choppy economy, a bunch of student loans, a resume that included things like a summer research internship catching salamanders, and an aspiration to “get into biotech.” I look back and think … Continue reading “25 Years in Biotech”
Transforming Health Care for Those Who Need it Most
Like other engaged consumers, my family of athletes tries out many of the new healthcare related wearables and apps. From counting steps to counting calories, there is a site or app out there for everything we do. But it’s not my immediate family that can benefit most from these tools. Today, devices are bought and … Continue reading “Transforming Health Care for Those Who Need it Most”
Flagship CEO on Backing NY Biotech, Moderna, and Investing in a Boom
It’s been a jam-packed few months for Flagship Ventures, one of the Boston area’s most well-known biotech startup creators. The Cambridge, MA-based VC firm just raised a $537 million fund of its own, and recently became a founding investor in the eye-popping $217 million Series A for Denali Therapeutics, a startup led by a group … Continue reading “Flagship CEO on Backing NY Biotech, Moderna, and Investing in a Boom”
Wallet, Watch, and What We Learned from Google I/O and Apple’s WWDC
The two leading platform owners in the smartphone industry, Apple and Google, are going in very different directions—particularly in their philosophies about privacy, and approaches to the “next billion” smartphone users—with major implications for app developers and consumers. Team Apptentive attended both companies’ annual developer conferences, held in late May and early June, in San … Continue reading “Wallet, Watch, and What We Learned from Google I/O and Apple’s WWDC”
Cystic Fibrosis Drug Maker Nivalis Therapeutics Has $77M IPO
Nivalis Therapeutics, a Boulder, CO-based drug company developing a treatment for cystic fibrosis, made its debut on the Nasdaq on Wednesday with a $77 million public offering. Formerly N30 Pharmaceuticals, Nivalis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NVLS]]) sold 5.5 million shares, more than it had previously planned, at $14 each. Shares opened the day at $16.50 and climbed to … Continue reading “Cystic Fibrosis Drug Maker Nivalis Therapeutics Has $77M IPO”
Top Legal Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Launching Startups
High-impact entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. Most venture-backed businesses don’t achieve the levels of success their founders and investors hoped for. Indeed, a significant number will fail. Having worked as legal counsel for dozens of venture-backed startups over the years, what frustrates me most is the number of companies that fail not … Continue reading “Top Legal Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Launching Startups”
Techstars Acquires Nonprofit UP Global, As Startup Industry Matures
Techstars, one of the nation’s foremost startup accelerator programs, has acquired the nonprofit entrepreneurship education outfit UP Global in a bid to cover the full spectrum “from idea to IPO.” The Seattle-based nonprofit may be best known as the umbrella group overseeing Startup Weekend events, 54-hour sprints held in cities around the world in which … Continue reading “Techstars Acquires Nonprofit UP Global, As Startup Industry Matures”
McNealy Talks About Building Billion-Dollar Companies at VC Summit
When you get the CEOs of tech companies in a room with venture capitalists, there’s usually one thing on their mind—making money. A lot of it. Scott McNealy knows a few things about making a billion-dollar tech company. He founded and was CEO of Sun Microsystems, one of the most important and successful companies to … Continue reading “McNealy Talks About Building Billion-Dollar Companies at VC Summit”
Winner Takes All?
Last week I spent some time with Peter Diamandis, founder of the XPRIZE Foundation and Singularity University (among dozens of other initiatives), who quite simply is trying to solve some of the world’s greatest problems. What was most striking about the XPRIZE vision to democratize innovation was how effectively the model corrals entrepreneurs with a very … Continue reading “Winner Takes All?”
Milestones of Innovation 8: Ten Minutes in White House Shapes World War II
Seventy-five years ago today, science took a seat next to the American presidency. It was a move of immense and continuing consequences for innovation in this country and across the world, not only in a war to the death but in the decades of uneasy peace that followed. The actual event on June 12, 1940 … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 8: Ten Minutes in White House Shapes World War II”
Looklist Receives $174,000 Seed Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ae317c07-4ebb-464b-83f2-35b04f838e6a Date 6/12/2015 Company Name Looklist Mailing Address 1111 Broadway Denver, CO 80205 USA Company Description For fashion lovers, finding the perfect image in the haystack is nearly impossible, because let’s face it, we know what we want. We scour Google Images, Pinterest, Tumblr, and countless blogs, wading through the less than … Continue reading “Looklist Receives $174,000 Seed Financing”
Rare Heart Disease Advocate: “I’m More Relieved Than I’ve Ever Been”
[Corrected 6/10/15, 10:14pm. See below.] Katherine Wilemon had a celebratory glass of wine a couple hours ago, which some say is good for the heart. Even better for Wilemon, however, is the reason she’s celebrating: In a two-day discussion about two new drugs aimed at high cholesterol, a panel of outside advisors recommended that the FDA … Continue reading “Rare Heart Disease Advocate: “I’m More Relieved Than I’ve Ever Been””
Failed Trial for Hepatitis B Drug Leads to Layoffs at GlobeImmune
The bad news for GlobeImmune keeps coming. The Louisville, CO-based drug company announced today it is slashing the majority of its workforce and is evaluating its strategic options in the wake of a failed trial for the chronic hepatitis B drug it was developing. GlobeImmune (Nasdaq: [[ticker:GBIM]]) announced the negative results in late May, and … Continue reading “Failed Trial for Hepatitis B Drug Leads to Layoffs at GlobeImmune”
How to Keep Your Best Employees: Write the Book
When it comes to retaining great employees, every executive has their favorite platitude: it’s all about culture; make sure people feel challenged; give them a clear path to advancement. Easy to say, but much harder to do. What is a great culture? Is it really enough to keep someone from taking a new job or … Continue reading “How to Keep Your Best Employees: Write the Book”
Techstars Mobility Launches with Office at Ford Field, New Partners
At long last, the inaugural session of the Techstars Mobility program officially launched Tuesday from its 10,000-square-foot office at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. Ten companies working on a range of mobility-related products and services will spend the next three months developing their ideas in Detroit, culminating with a demo day on Sept. … Continue reading “Techstars Mobility Launches with Office at Ford Field, New Partners”
What Do the Heads of Techstars & Boston Children’s Hospital Have in Common?
David Cohen and Sandra Fenwick both believe that Boston’s innovation community is poised to do huge things. Cohen, the founder and managing partner of Techstars, says Boston’s startup ecosystem will be “off the charts” in the next 20 years. Fenwick, the CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital, says the city’s healthcare and analytics expertise “will change … Continue reading “What Do the Heads of Techstars & Boston Children’s Hospital Have in Common?”
Take a Grain of Salt (Or Two) With New Cholesterol Drug Predictions
My mother always warned me never to start a column with a reference to management consultants. Sorry, Mom. Cover your eyes. But anyone else with personal health or personal finance interest in the latest cholesterol-fighting drugs, read on. Two years ago, three McKinseyites published a study about forecasts for drug sales. The upshot: To predict … Continue reading “Take a Grain of Salt (Or Two) With New Cholesterol Drug Predictions”
A Small Biz COO App: Five Questions for Shopventory’s Rares Saftoiu
Rares Saftoiu and Bach Le were working on the TurboTax engineering team at Intuit in San Diego when they decided to quit in 2013 to work full-time on Shopventory, a software startup they founded to serve small business owners. It was their second attempt at a startup while they were still working full-time at Intuit. … Continue reading “A Small Biz COO App: Five Questions for Shopventory’s Rares Saftoiu”
Apple Watch: The First Wearable Device Worth Wearing
It’s just a watch. I’ve had my Apple Watch for three weeks now, and I have no qualms about telling you that the device’s killer app is telling time. That’s what I was expecting. After all, it looks like a wristwatch, you wear it in the same place as a wristwatch, and the first thing … Continue reading “Apple Watch: The First Wearable Device Worth Wearing”
Force is Strong With Sphero: $45M in Funding from Mercato, Disney
Sphero, maker of a line of robotics products that can be controlled with a mobile phone app, gained fame beyond its toy-like devices after news broke last month that the company was helping make a droid for the new Star Wars movie. Now Sphero, which has one namesake device and a second called Ollie, has received more … Continue reading “Force is Strong With Sphero: $45M in Funding from Mercato, Disney”
Sphero Secures $45,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=89b7c3e5-1f71-477b-9b30-372da33ead3e Date 6/3/2015 Company Name Sphero Mailing Address 1155 Canyon Boulder, CO 80302 USA Company Description Sphero is a Boulder based startup that works with consumer electronics companies and developers to bring phone controlled open devices to market. Website http://www.gosphero.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $45,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Sphero Secures $45,000,000 New Financing Round”
ASCO Roundup: Checkpoints, Pushback Against Prices, CAR-T & More
As has been the case the past few years, the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, which just wrapped up in Chicago, was the latest referendum on immunotherapy. But this year, not only did the meeting feature scientific developments for these new types of cancer fighters that rev up patients’ immune systems, but it … Continue reading “ASCO Roundup: Checkpoints, Pushback Against Prices, CAR-T & More”
Galvanize Pairs Up With Google to Start Offering Classes in London
Galvanize is going global—and Google is giving it a hand. The Denver-based education startup/co-working chain/early stage venture fund announced this morning it will begin offering classes in London. Galvanize is working with Google on the project, and the classes will be offered at Google’s Campus London startup hub in East London. Galvanize was founded in … Continue reading “Galvanize Pairs Up With Google to Start Offering Classes in London”
VerbalizeIt Translates Blue Ocean Challenge Entry Into $250K
How do you say “big winner” in Portuguese? Or Mandarin? VerbalizeIt, a startup that connects businesses with translators from around the world, was the big winner at the Colorado State University Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge on Saturday. The Boulder, CO-based startup took home the top prize of $250,000, along with access to mentoring and other … Continue reading “VerbalizeIt Translates Blue Ocean Challenge Entry Into $250K”
MIT Clean Energy Prize Grants Go to Startups From Boston to San Francisco
OptiBit, a company with hardware intended to improve the bandwidth and energy efficiency of data centers, won top billing at the MIT Clean Energy Prize in May. The company, which developed its technology over 10 years at MIT, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Colorado, went home with the $275,000 grand prize. The Clean … Continue reading “MIT Clean Energy Prize Grants Go to Startups From Boston to San Francisco”
Summer Reading List: True Tales That Will Inspire and Educate You
OK, you’ve already read the latest hot science bestsellers—Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies and Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (both terrific, by the way)—and you’re wondering what to grab next. I’ve suggested below a number of remarkable science books that I’m fond of, and that you might find interesting as … Continue reading “Summer Reading List: True Tales That Will Inspire and Educate You”
Qualcomm Names First 10 Companies to Robotics Accelerator
Following a global recruiting effort that yielded hundreds of applications, San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) today named the 10 startups selected for the new robotics accelerator program it is operating with Techstars. The inaugural class includes two San Diego robotics startups, Inova Drone and CleverPet, San Francisco-based Carbon Robotics, and early stage companies from Singapore; … Continue reading “Qualcomm Names First 10 Companies to Robotics Accelerator”
Colorado Trendsetter Rally Software Takes CA’s $480M Takeover Offer
Rally Software, the Boulder, CO-based software company that led a new generation of technology startups in Colorado and became the first in years to reach an IPO, is going to be acquired by CA Technologies. CA (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CA]]) announced Wednesday that it had signed a definitive agreement with Rally (NYSE: [[ticker:RALY]]) to buy the company … Continue reading “Colorado Trendsetter Rally Software Takes CA’s $480M Takeover Offer”
Milestones Of Innovation 7: FDR Phones Knudsen At General Motors
One of the sharpest controversies about our nation’s history is who gets top credit for the titanic American public-private partnership that won World War II with an avalanche of production. Some call it a rescue by private business, others view it as an example of Franklin Roosevelt’s multi-layered and often-mysterious leadership. How we see this … Continue reading “Milestones Of Innovation 7: FDR Phones Knudsen At General Motors”
Notion Obtains $2,000,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e454ae3c-4bc5-4354-bc7e-549333831da1 Date 5/28/2015 Company Name Notion Mailing Address 1530 Blake Street Denver, CO 80202 USA Company Description Notion sensors are along for the ride when objects like doors and windows open. Easily keep a mindful eye on people coming and going, whether a garage door closes or not, if a safe or … Continue reading “Notion Obtains $2,000,000 Seed Round”
CitizenShipper Garners $500,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4076c3bb-c51d-45ea-b196-d134e26734ba Date 5/28/2015 Company Name CitizenShipper Mailing Address 2205 West 136th Avenue Broomfield, CO 80023 USA Company Description On CitizenShipper, you can post just about any kind of shipment; from the family pet to large industrial machines and everything in between. Fill out the “Post a Shipment” form and start receiving quotes … Continue reading “CitizenShipper Garners $500,000 New Financing Round”
Three Colorado Startups Win $25K Contracts From Statewide Challenge
The makers of apps that help college students find mentors, tourists find activities, and commuters find perks took home the $25,000 top prizes as the winners of the second Go Code Colorado challenge. The competition is sponsored by the state in an effort to help startups find ways to use and commercialize the publicly available … Continue reading “Three Colorado Startups Win $25K Contracts From Statewide Challenge”
After Orexigen Gaffe, What Role for Drugs Amid Obesity Crisis?
Two recent happenings prompted this column. First, Orexigen Therapeutics drew fire from, well, nearly everyone earlier this month for an improper release of data related to its weight-loss drug Contrave. The second happening is Memorial Day weekend. I’m assuming you, like me, did not spend the long weekend hunting and gathering, sharpening your arrowheads, and … Continue reading “After Orexigen Gaffe, What Role for Drugs Amid Obesity Crisis?”
MBio Diagnostics Secures $6,334,255 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b8c96cf0-7d46-4c35-8257-04d498869f59 Date 5/22/2015 Company Name MBio Diagnostics Mailing Address 5603 Arapahoe Avenue Boulder, CO 80303 USA Company Description MBio Diagnostics’ story, and its strength, is built on a rich history of powerful partnerships, leadership and technology. These consistent connections reinforce a story of innovation, commitment and opportunity. Website http://www.mbiodx.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “MBio Diagnostics Secures $6,334,255 Series B Funding Round”