Category: Boulder/Denver

Attracting, Retaining Talent Key to Driving Economy Forward

A major issue continues to be how to attract and train the necessary talent to drive forward both individual businesses and the economy as a whole. This issue is being addressed in pockets (such as some nascent, innovative programs in Michigan), but not nearly at the scope that is needed. Among other things, it involves … Continue reading “Attracting, Retaining Talent Key to Driving Economy Forward”

5 Tips for Students to Get Ahead in Technology and Business

What advice would you give students interested in your field? That’s a question we posed to our network of Xconomists around the country. They range from academic leaders to startup founders to venture capitalists. What we found was that their answers were generally bigger than their particular field of expertise. Taken together, the tips provide … Continue reading “5 Tips for Students to Get Ahead in Technology and Business”

14 for ’14: Xconomy’s Top Innovation Stories of the Year

It has been quite a year for one-word headlines: Ebola, Sony, Uber, WhatsApp, to name a few. Behind those headlines are complex issues in business and technology that came to the fore in 2014. Things like impediments to vaccine development; mounting threats in cybersecurity and privacy; the regulatory and cultural struggles of high-flying startups; and … Continue reading “14 for ’14: Xconomy’s Top Innovation Stories of the Year”

To Diversify the Innovation Community, Jump-Start Female Entrepreneurship

Just about a year ago at this time, I read a report that made me ask myself whether I was doing enough—and the right kind of “enough”—to encourage diversity in our technology startup community and innovation ecosystem here in Boston/Cambridge. Fortunately, when I looked at the startups in my portfolio of seed investments, I found … Continue reading “To Diversify the Innovation Community, Jump-Start Female Entrepreneurship”

Expand Our Notion of Success from Wealth Creation to Value Creation

We have too narrow a view of success in the tech community, fueled by investors wanting big returns, business schools reinforcing these values, and universities trying to maximize financial returns on their research. Young people see this. Many children of immigrants want to help their parents’ homelands. Many young people want to build a more … Continue reading “Expand Our Notion of Success from Wealth Creation to Value Creation”

10 Bits of Advice for Students Interested in Drug Development

Here are my 10 crucial pieces of advice for students who aspire to a career in pharmaceutical labs: 1. You need a solid foundation in science. Master the basics, and learn how to apply that knowledge. 2. But, try to also take classes and build skills in complementary areas like business, legal topics (especially intellectual … Continue reading “10 Bits of Advice for Students Interested in Drug Development”

Kicking the Cyber Attack Can Down the Road

By far the most important issue where the can got “kicked down the road” is any kind of concerted effort to deter or dissuade cross-border cyber-crime, cyber-attacks, cyber-vandalism and other various forms of hacking mischief. As more and more people become reliant of digital devices and networks for their livelihoods and leisure, their vulnerability to … Continue reading “Kicking the Cyber Attack Can Down the Road”

From STEM to C-Suite, Steps to Improve Technology’s Gender Balance

Gender and diversity problems certainly aren’t new for either the technology community or for business in general. Over the past several decades, women and minorities have worked to gain access to higher levels within organizations, and many white males already in senior roles have also worked to address these issues. However, progress has been slow, … Continue reading “From STEM to C-Suite, Steps to Improve Technology’s Gender Balance”

Biggest Surprises in 2014: Apple After Steve Jobs

What was the biggest surprise of the year? The continued success of Apple. It’s been a quiet period after Jobs’s disappearance and it is very difficult to step into those shoes, I had not counted on the success. The iPhone 6 is a marvel even if it’s not a groundbreaking innovation. But the Apple Watch … Continue reading “Biggest Surprises in 2014: Apple After Steve Jobs”

Simple Steps Toward More Inclusive Entrepreneurship

At conferences, meetups, and events, my colleagues and I often lament the lack of diversity in the audience, particularly the lack of women. Organizations like the Doyenne Group here in Madison, WI, are doing great things to cultivate entrepreneurship among women. Some recent changes in my life, however, have given me a new perspective on … Continue reading “Simple Steps Toward More Inclusive Entrepreneurship”

What’s Missing From Education? Critical Thinking

There is too little emphasis on teaching critical thinking skills in schools. Many adults have little understanding of important science and technology issues, which leaves them open to poor decision making on matters that will affect both their families as well as society in general. A good example would be a failure to understand and … Continue reading “What’s Missing From Education? Critical Thinking”

What’s the Most Important Issue That Didn’t Get Addressed in 2014?

Immigration. Very sad and shows how deeply dysfunctional our system is. This is really hurting innovation—and other countries, like Canada, U.K., Chile and Spain, have moved way ahead of us. Very frustrating. [Editor’s note: To tap the wisdom of our distinguished group of Xconomists, we asked a few of them to answer this question heading … Continue reading “What’s the Most Important Issue That Didn’t Get Addressed in 2014?”

The Sony Wake-Up Call

[Corrected, see below] The Sony saga continues. Last week, the FBI said there is enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible for the Sony cyberattack. Now some are beginning to wonder how the U.S. should retaliate. Surely, new developments will continue to unfold, but our focus remains on what this breach … Continue reading “The Sony Wake-Up Call”

Oracle to Buy Colorado-based Data Broker Datalogix

[Updated 12/22/14 10:25 a.m. See below.] Oracle announced Monday it will buy Datalogix, the Westminster, CO-based data broker used by companies such as Facebook and Twitter to understand the offline consumer activity of their users. The price of the acquisition was not disclosed, but one media report puts it at several hundred million dollars. Datalogix … Continue reading “Oracle to Buy Colorado-based Data Broker Datalogix”

Rethinking Venture Philanthropy After the Kalydeco Windfall

The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation’s big win in venture philanthropy can fuel constructive competition among companies developing innovative CF drugs, benefiting both patients and the healthcare system by increasing future treatment options and reducing their cost. CF is a fatal genetic disease affecting around 30,000 people in the U.S. that is caused by mutations in … Continue reading “Rethinking Venture Philanthropy After the Kalydeco Windfall”

Oracle Acquires Datalogix for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0730eddf-5151-4b55-8e11-2ac6f75ab4b0 Date 12/22/2014 Company Name Datalogix Mailing Address 10075 Westmoor Dr. Westminster, CO 80021 USA Company Description As a company, we made it our mission to leverage the power of purchase-based audience targeting to drive measurable online and offline sales. Our data includes almost every U.S. household and more than $1 trillion … Continue reading “Oracle Acquires Datalogix for Undisclosed Sum”

Colorado Roundup: Missile Batteries, Blue Ocean, and Funding News

Here are a few bits of recent news from startups around Colorado: Solid Power goes ballistic: Solid Power, a Louisville, CO-based startup spun out of the University of Colorado-Boulder, announced a unique partnership earlier this month. It’s working with the Air Force to make batteries for the intercontinental ballistic missiles that carry nuclear warheads. The … Continue reading “Colorado Roundup: Missile Batteries, Blue Ocean, and Funding News”

Olympics, NFL Lessons Guide Integrate’s Bloom in First Year as CEO

A lot of entrepreneurs have circuitous career paths before becoming a first-time CEO. Few have the Olympics or the National Football League on their resumes. But that’s the case for Jeremy Bloom, co-founder and CEO of Integrate, a venture-backed marketing software company. Bloom has been in the top spot for about eight months as the … Continue reading “Olympics, NFL Lessons Guide Integrate’s Bloom in First Year as CEO”

From American Well to Venture Capitalists, Health IT on the Rise

Companies in healthcare IT have been percolating for the past five-plus years. Now, with the regulatory climate evolving and big companies like Apple getting more serious about health and wellness, it looks like 2015 could be when it’s all going to pop. Let’s connect a few dots: —American Well has raised $80 million in Series … Continue reading “From American Well to Venture Capitalists, Health IT on the Rise”

SunPower’s $20M Investment Latest Sign of Tendril’s Turnaround

Just two years ago, Tendril Networks was like many other formerly high-flying cleantech startups struggling to stay alive. But now Tendril is back, according to CEO Adrian Tuck—and one of the leading renewable energy companies in the world agrees. Solar panel manufacturer SunPower and Tendril announced Monday that SunPower (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SPWR]]) has invested $20 million … Continue reading “SunPower’s $20M Investment Latest Sign of Tendril’s Turnaround”

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: Magnovision?

When the ads for Mars vacations came on the TV, Doug Quaid couldn’t turn away. He thought about Mars at work, dreamed about it at night, badgered his wife about going there. She reminded him that they couldn’t afford it—and anyway, Saturn is much nicer. But he could not get Mars out of his head. … Continue reading “Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: Magnovision?”

Intrigue and Outdated Rules Complicate Big Biotech Patent Fight

How’s this for strange? What’s likely the most important biotech patent battle of the decade is now being fought under outmoded rules that the U.S. Congress, in a rare spasm of common purpose three years ago, agreed roundly were due for a once-in-a-lifetime overhaul. The fight is over CRISPR/Cas9, a potential Nobel-winning biotech discovery, and … Continue reading “Intrigue and Outdated Rules Complicate Big Biotech Patent Fight”

Techstars Hires Startup Vet to Run Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator

Ryan Kuder, a San Diego startup veteran who left the mobile device recycler EcoATM earlier this year, has been hired to lead the new robotics startup accelerator that Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) is establishing under a deal with Techstars. Boulder, CO-based Techstars, which just announced its 16th startup program last week in Detroit, named Kuder as … Continue reading “Techstars Hires Startup Vet to Run Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator”

CoTera Obtains $7,841,422 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e925ab21-a741-49c8-8920-6cd62c336f22 Date 12/16/2014 Company Name CoTera Mailing Address 8395 Sweet Water Road Lone Tree, CO 80124 USA Company Description Founded in 1992, CoTera Technologies is a Colorado based Telecommunications consulting company. We provide Telecommunications network connectivity and Test and Measurement solutions for SMB’s and the Enterprise. Website http://www.cotera.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “CoTera Obtains $7,841,422 New Financing”

Tendril Lands $20,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=122eecff-0d3b-4c60-8141-9a6ee2d6b42a Date 12/15/2014 Company Name Tendril Mailing Address 2560 55th Street Boulder, CO 80301 USA Company Description Tendril bridges the gap between wireless sensor and control networks and programmers by providing system-wide smart grid development tools, deployment engines, and professional services. Website http://www.tendrilinc.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $20,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Tendril Lands $20,000,000 New Funding Round”

All4Staff Receives $1,004,689 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2c13ca9c-7ced-42b1-bd12-a3acf533eccd Date 12/15/2014 Company Name All4Staff Mailing Address Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80303 USA Company Description With All4Staff, your employees complete of all their Day-1 onboarding tasks from home, with their laptops or mobile devices. We automate all of the tedious legwork for you – from notifying them when forms are due … Continue reading “All4Staff Receives $1,004,689 New Financing Round”

Oncothyreon Pays $20M for Array BioPharma’s Breast Cancer Drug

Oncothyreon and Array BioPharma announced today that they have updated their development agreement around a breast cancer drug invented by Array. Oncothyreon, based in Seattle, will pay Boulder, CO-based Array (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARRY]]) a $20 million upfront fee and take full responsibility for the development and commercialization of the drug, known as ONT-380. If it manages … Continue reading “Oncothyreon Pays $20M for Array BioPharma’s Breast Cancer Drug”

How Big Data Improves Sales Management and Predicts Performance

Enterprises worth their salt typically use a set of standard key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate progress, but there are limits to the effectiveness of these measures in improving or predicting future performance. According to Harvard Business Review, the top KPIs in sales include average annual quota and quota attainment average. The former describes the … Continue reading “How Big Data Improves Sales Management and Predicts Performance”

Ford, Magna, Verizon Help Launch Techstars Program in Detroit

If you’re looking for further validation that Detroit’s tech ecosystem is gaining respect in the eyes of the world, here it is: Ford, in partnership with global auto supplier Magna International and Verizon Telematics, will announce today that it is helping to bring the esteemed Techstars startup accelerator to the Motor City. Techstars Mobility will … Continue reading “Ford, Magna, Verizon Help Launch Techstars Program in Detroit”

Quick Left Obtains $500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bcd388ec-38b4-4d9c-aa78-4a0a44bb9d9a Date 12/11/2014 Company Name Quick Left Mailing Address 902 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80302 USA Company Description Whether extending an API, refactoring javascript or building a mobile app from scratch, we produce lean, test-driven code — on time & at budget. It’s not just the sauce on top: great design is … Continue reading “Quick Left Obtains $500,000 New Funding”

First Solar Buys Into Clean Energy Collective’s Community Solar

If you live in an apartment and don’t have roof space, you can still buy into solar power through shared ownership programs—a niche market that a number of solar startups are trying to open up. Louisville, CO-based Clean Energy Collective said today that solar panel maker First Solar has invested an undisclosed sum in the … Continue reading “First Solar Buys Into Clean Energy Collective’s Community Solar”

Techstars, Mayo Clinic Team Up to Launch Post-Accelerator Program

Add the Mayo Clinic to the list of companies, entrepreneurs, and investors that are in Techstars’s seemingly ever-growing network. The Boulder, CO-based startup accelerator announced today that it has a new relationship with the Rochester, MN-based nonprofit hospital and research institute that will enable healthcare-related Techstars startups to work with experts from the Mayo Clinic … Continue reading “Techstars, Mayo Clinic Team Up to Launch Post-Accelerator Program”

The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 5 Years and Up

In my last two articles, I explored the top risks and opportunities that startups face during their first five years of existence. In this conclusion to the series, I’d like to discuss the final phase of startup growth—Year 5 and up. If your business has made it to the crucial 5-year mark, that’s a good … Continue reading “The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 5 Years and Up”

Lagrange Systems Garners $1,499,991 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d281fe5b-2ee9-45e5-9e39-7a414dd9c6a4 Date 12/8/2014 Company Name Lagrange Systems Mailing Address 5777 Central Avenue Boulder, CO 80302 USA Company Description The Lagrange Balancer is a decentralized load balancing service that simplifies the creation and scaling of highly available web sites, web application and API deployments. Website http://www.lagrangesystems.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,499,991 … Continue reading “Lagrange Systems Garners $1,499,991 New Financing Round”

Innovating with Bitcoin at MIT

In November, we began distributing $100 in Bitcoin to every undergraduate student at MIT. A large share of the 4,500 eligible students participated in the project. Bitcoin is an innovative payment network that allows for instant peer-to-peer transactions with zero or very low processing fees on a worldwide scale. The objective of the study is … Continue reading “Innovating with Bitcoin at MIT”

Innovation Hub: Are Entrepreneurs a Dying Breed?

It feels like every day, we hear another story of a 22-year-old who sold his app for millions. But the truth about entrepreneurs may be very different. In fact, if you look at the official data, entrepreneurship in the U.S. has been in decline for over thirty years. We talked to Ben Casselman, the chief … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Are Entrepreneurs a Dying Breed?”

Array and Novartis End Development Deal for Cancer Drug Binimetinib

Drug developer Array BioPharma and pharmaceutical giant Novartis are going separate ways, but that doesn’t seem to be bad news for Boulder, CO-based Array. The companies announced Wednesday they have terminated their agreement to jointly develop and market binimetinib, a drug candidate initially developed by Array to treat melanoma and ovarian cancer. While such a … Continue reading “Array and Novartis End Development Deal for Cancer Drug Binimetinib”

Boulder’s TeamSnap Acquires Mobile App, Keeps on Growing

TeamSnap has just snapped up another rival and is adding about 30,000 users to its roster. The Boulder, CO-based startup makes software that sports teams, recreational leagues, and activity groups can use to create and manage rosters, coordinate schedules, track stats, inform players of schedule changes, and now track their team’s live scores and chat … Continue reading “Boulder’s TeamSnap Acquires Mobile App, Keeps on Growing”

SendGrid Raises $20M, Plots New Strategy for New Markets

The past two months have been busy ones for SendGrid and its new CEO Sameer Dholakia, who joined the company in September. The Boulder-based company announced today it has raised a $20 million Series C round and landed Bain Capital Ventures as a new investor. SendGrid makes cloud-based software that customers use to deliver e-mail … Continue reading “SendGrid Raises $20M, Plots New Strategy for New Markets”

More Biotechs Belly-Up These Days but Dendreon Still “One of a Kind”

Biotech companies rarely go bankrupt. Sitting where I sit, that bit of conventional wisdom comes around every so often, although it doesn’t generate quite the same buzz as Halley’s Comet or a wardrobe malfunction. Bankruptcy just doesn’t get America jawing over the water cooler on Monday morning. (I can’t imagine why.) If your cooler is … Continue reading “More Biotechs Belly-Up These Days but Dendreon Still “One of a Kind””

Prescription Drug Pricing: The Fine Line Between Value and Greed

Value. It’s one of the most frequently used buzzwords on both Wall Street and in healthcare. Virtually every press release from a publicly traded company assures us that its latest acquisition/layoff/tax inversion/sale of assets was designed “to increase shareholder value.” But what exactly is “value” and how is it measured? Here are some definitions from … Continue reading “Prescription Drug Pricing: The Fine Line Between Value and Greed”

SendGrid Obtains $20,000,000 Series C Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f74d9125-138a-41c9-a3aa-0bbed6c1794b Date 12/2/2014 Company Name SendGrid Mailing Address 929 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80302 USA Company Description SendGrid transparently handles DKIM, SPF, ISP rate limits, content inspection, bounces, and spam reports to help users achieve higher deliverability. SendGrid integrates in minutes by just changing three SMTP settings. We even assign our users … Continue reading “SendGrid Obtains $20,000,000 Series C Funding”

Denver E-Commerce Startup Active Junky Preps for Holidays, Big 2015

Whether on the ski slopes or outside shops, it’s going to be a busy next few days for a lot of people in Colorado. Shoppers will be lining up for Black Friday bargains or surfing for Cyber Monday steals. Up in the high country, skiers and snowboarders from around the world will be flocking to … Continue reading “Denver E-Commerce Startup Active Junky Preps for Holidays, Big 2015”

Startups and 13 States Jumpstart Equity Crowdfunding Without SEC

Ever wanted to own your own little piece of a startup, but found you don’t quite have the money to do it? Well, now you can buy a stake in a local brewery, restaurant, or software company—at least if you live in Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington, Colorado, or other states with new laws that let companies … Continue reading “Startups and 13 States Jumpstart Equity Crowdfunding Without SEC”

BackJoy Orthotics Obtains New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=47ba3c5a-a51a-468f-a26e-b74181ed8202 Date 11/25/2014 Company Name BackJoy Orthotics Mailing Address P.O. Box 11036 Spine Road Boulder, CO 80301 USA Company Description BackJoy owes its inception to a son’s passion to ease his father’s back pain and help him get back to fully enjoying life. In 1984, Preston Willingham embarked on a road trip … Continue reading “BackJoy Orthotics Obtains New Funding”

The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 2-5 Years

In my previous article, I discussed the key risks and opportunities that startups face when they’re just starting out. This time, I’d like to go one step further to the second phase of a startup’s growth: age 2-5 years. This is a critical period. The initial excitement of starting a business is over, and now … Continue reading “The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 2-5 Years”

Galvanize Secures $360,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a0a23c4c-4dc0-4718-a960-5688ca892aec Date 11/24/2014 Company Name Galvanize Mailing Address 1062 Delaware St. Denver, CO 80204 USA Company Description Galvanize is a Denver-based startup focused on coalescing communities of early stage technology companies through the three pillars of Community, Curriculum and Capital. The first Galvanize facility, located in the 30,000 sf historic Rocky Mountain … Continue reading “Galvanize Secures $360,000 New Financing Round”

RoundPegg Obtains $282,394 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=98a890d2-9ad2-4b0a-908f-d7583fccdb50 Date 11/24/2014 Company Name RoundPegg Mailing Address 1433 Pearl St. Boulder, CO 80302 USA Company Description The company develops employment software solutions. Website http://www.roundpegg.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $282,394 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing – amended. Contact technology company for investment details, … Continue reading “RoundPegg Obtains $282,394 New Funding”

Obama’s Immigration Changes Hint at Revival of Startup Visa Idea

Could the federal government finally be creating something like the startup visa, the long-stalled immigration reform that would make it easier for entrepreneurs from foreign countries to start companies in the U.S.? The door to that possibility might have opened slightly on Thursday night, following President Barack Obama’s speech about immigration reform. Obama used the … Continue reading “Obama’s Immigration Changes Hint at Revival of Startup Visa Idea”