Category: Boulder/Denver

Ampio Pharmaceuticals Starts Final Study for Osteoarthritis Treatment

Ampio Pharmaceuticals thinks it has a new way to combat joint pain caused by osteoarthritis, and the growing Colorado biotech company is spending millions so it can hit the ground running if it gets FDA approval for its treatment. Greenwood Village-based Ampio (NYSE MKT: [[ticker:AMPE]]) announced Monday that it is beginning a 500-patient Phase III … Continue reading “Ampio Pharmaceuticals Starts Final Study for Osteoarthritis Treatment”

Do Pivots Matter?

In late 2013 Cowboy Ventures did an analysis of U.S.-based tech companies started in the last 10 years, now valued at $1 billion. They found 39 of these companies. They called them the “Unicorn Club.” The article summarized 10 key learnings from the Unicorn club. Surprisingly, one of the “learnings” said that “the “big pivot” … Continue reading “Do Pivots Matter?”

Welcome to Zappos-Style Health Innovation

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s effort to revitalize downtown Las Vegas includes last month’s launch of a new clinic, run by Iora Health and spearheaded by physician Zubin Damania. Stanford-trained, Damania also happens to rap by the name of ZDoggMD. So it’s no wonder the project has drawn attention. But there’s another unusual aspect to this … Continue reading “Welcome to Zappos-Style Health Innovation”

Biodesix Secures $26M in New Funds to Market Cancer Treatment Test

Biodesix, a Boulder, CO-based molecular diagnostics company, has been busy on the financing front, announcing today it has raised an additional $6.1 million from investors in an equity sale. The company also secured a $20 million debt facility last week. Biodesix is developing VeriStrat, a test that can be used during the treatment of advanced … Continue reading “Biodesix Secures $26M in New Funds to Market Cancer Treatment Test”

What Biotech Pros Will Be Chirping About at JP Morgan This Week

Somebody always has to announce a monster acquisition, or gee-whiz biotech/pharma partnership, on the eve of the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. Everyone wants to be the center of attention at the annual biotech investing and networking frenzy. With a full business week to get ready, biotech executives and all their PR handlers … Continue reading “What Biotech Pros Will Be Chirping About at JP Morgan This Week”

Mile High Roundup: New Tech Gets Healthy, CU Contest Kicks Off

Welcome to the Mile High Roundup, a look at some of the interesting things that have happened this week in the tech scene in Boulder, Denver, and around Colorado. In this edition, healthcare startups take over New Tech, Colorado’s own space shuttle gets some European friends, and the University of Colorado Boulder’s New Venture Challenge … Continue reading “Mile High Roundup: New Tech Gets Healthy, CU Contest Kicks Off”

How I Learned to Stay Organized with Evernote, Post-its & Foamcore

I like to think I’m a fairly organized person. I have to be. I’ve got stories to edit and events to plan. I write 5,000 to 10,000 words a week. Some 200 to 300 new e-mail messages hit my inbox every day, all requiring some kind of action. And I have a lot of cool … Continue reading “How I Learned to Stay Organized with Evernote, Post-its & Foamcore”

Space Flight Launched Today Includes CU Studies of Antibiotics, Ants

An experiment designed at the University of Colorado at Boulder, testing the effect of microgravity on antibiotics, blasted off into space today. CU scientists believe the mission could help solve how bacteria develop drug resistance, a danger to astronauts and Earth-dwellers alike. The flight is bound for the International Space Station, and the experiment—along with … Continue reading “Space Flight Launched Today Includes CU Studies of Antibiotics, Ants”

U.S. Biomedical Research at a Precipice

[Editor’s Note: this post was co-authored by Justin Chakma, Dr. Reshma Jagsi, and Stephen M. Sammut.] Since 1950, U.S. government funding has supported research underlying 84 percent of Nobel Prizes awarded in Medicine & Physiology. These scientific breakthroughs have resulted in new medicines and created significant economic value. For example, the discovery of gene silencing, … Continue reading “U.S. Biomedical Research at a Precipice”

Peak Secures $4,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9f3efdf9-14cf-4b56-8ddb-ca521b5ebf82 Date 1/9/2014 Company Name Peak Mailing Address Undisclosed Denver, CO 80211 Company Description Established in 2006, Peak began and continues its focus on the Infrastructure-as-a-Service slice of cloud computing delivering public, private, Hybrid, DR, and custom solutions. As a Type II SSAE16/SOC 1 company, we focus on consistently sound operational procedures … Continue reading “Peak Secures $4,000,000 New Round”

Scott McNealy’s Social Media Startup Wayin Buys Argentine Company

Wayin, a Denver-based startup co-founded by Sun Microsystems co-founder Scott McNealy, announced today it has purchased Buenos Aires-based Comenta TV, a social media analytics startup in South America. The price was not disclosed. Wayin is a startup that collects social media postings from sites like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook and filters them according to criteria … Continue reading “Scott McNealy’s Social Media Startup Wayin Buys Argentine Company”

CU Boulder New Venture Challenge Kickoff with Howard Diamond and Andre Durand

The University of Colorado’s annual New Venture Challenge startup business plan competition kicks off with a special event featuring presentations from and Q/A session with two of the top tech CEOs in Colorado. From the event website: “Howard Diamond, the CEO of Mobile Day, Techstars mentor and salesman extraordinaire, and Andre Durand, the CEO of … Continue reading “CU Boulder New Venture Challenge Kickoff with Howard Diamond and Andre Durand”

Orbotix, GeoPalz Lead Colorado Startups at CES in Las Vegas

It’s that time of the year again, when Colorado tech companies leave the winter behind for Las Vegas and the annual Consumer Electronics Show. This year a handful of locally based startups will make the trip, including Orbotix, which is unveiling a new robot, Sphero 2B. According to the CES media guide, 41 firms headquartered … Continue reading “Orbotix, GeoPalz Lead Colorado Startups at CES in Las Vegas”

Bad Statistics, and Bad Training, Are Sabotaging Drug Discovery

One of the most widely read college textbooks in the 1960s and ‘70s was How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff. Despite the humorous title, the serious intent of the book (written by a journalist, not a statistician) was to illustrate how common errors in the use of statistics frequently lead to misleading conclusions. … Continue reading “Bad Statistics, and Bad Training, Are Sabotaging Drug Discovery”

Josh Boger Finds Beauty Off the Coast of Fiji, in Life After Vertex

What has Josh Boger been doing the past four years in his supposed “retirement” from Vertex Pharmaceuticals? Turns out, he’s found peace and beauty. He discovered it about as far away from the biotech grind as you can possibly get. Boger, as many readers know, is the founder and former president and CEO of Cambridge, … Continue reading “Josh Boger Finds Beauty Off the Coast of Fiji, in Life After Vertex”

Silicon Flatirons Crash Course: Jason Haislmaier on Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs

The University of Colorado’s Silicon Flatirons Center hosts a crash course on intellectual property for entrepreneurs lead by Jason Haislmaier. From the event website: “Whether you are exploring a new product idea, developing an initial business plan, pitching investors, or preparing for a successful exit, intellectual property (IP) protection is a vital issue for every … Continue reading “Silicon Flatirons Crash Course: Jason Haislmaier on Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs”

Silicon Flatirons Conference: Digital Broadband Migration

From the conference website: “The Internet Protocol has already revolutionized communications technology and disrupted legal business models. It has, because of the Internet’s international reach, raised international governance challenges. Notably, a number of Internet pioneers, along with the US government, have balked at proposals to centralize aspects of key Internet governance at the United Nations. … Continue reading “Silicon Flatirons Conference: Digital Broadband Migration”

Silicon Flatirons Workshop: Venture Capital Term Sheets

The University of Colorado’s Silicon Flatirons Center hosts a special workshop on venture capital term sheets. This hands-on workshop is co-presented by Silicon Flatirons’ Brad Bernthal and several leading deal attorneys in the Front Range. The workshop includes a mock negotiation and focuses upon critical elements of early stage venture capital term sheets. Local expert attorneys … Continue reading “Silicon Flatirons Workshop: Venture Capital Term Sheets”

Silicon Flatirons Crash Course: Jason Mendelson on Venture Capital

The University of Colorado’s Silicon Flatirons Center hosts a crash course on venture capital lead by Jason Mendelson, a Foundry Group managing director. From the event’s website: “Although many startups hope to become venture capital-backed companies, few understand how the venture capital industry works. In this Crash Course, Jason Mendelson will attempt to illuminate what … Continue reading “Silicon Flatirons Crash Course: Jason Mendelson on Venture Capital”

Silicon Flatirons Conference: The New Frontiers of Privacy Harm

The University of Colorado’s Silicon Flatirons Center hosts its first conference in 2014 with a timely conference on privacy in the digital age. From the conference website: What harms are privacy laws designed to prevent? How are people injured when corporations, governments, or other individuals collect, disclose, or use information about them in ways that … Continue reading “Silicon Flatirons Conference: The New Frontiers of Privacy Harm”

Boulder StartUp Meetup

Hear a founder present their startup, ask questions, and provide feedback so they can learn from your experience. Network with entrepreneurs, your peers, your target clients, your tribe, and learn from an experienced entrepreneur who will share their story and advice based on their own unique experiences. Check its Meetup page for more information.

Denver New Tech Meetup

The Denver version of Colorado’s largest monthly gathering of entrepreneurs and techies, with presentations from great companies, networking, and job leads. $10 donation is requested. Registration through Meetup.com required. More information, including agenda and list of companies presenting, and registration information here.

Fort Collins New Tech Meetup

The Fort Collins version of Colorado’s largest monthly gathering of entrepreneurs and techies, with presentations from great companies, networking, and job leads. $10 donation is requested. Registration through Meetup.com required. More information, including agenda and list of companies presenting, and registration information here.

Boulder New Tech Meetup

The event is Boulder’s version of Colorado’s largest monthly gathering of entrepreneurs and techies, with presentations from great companies, networking, and job leads. $10 donation is requested. Registration through Meetup.com required. More information, including an agenda, list of of companies presenting, and registration information, is available here and here.

Startups Poised to Make Their Mark Alongside the Big Guys at CES

Much of the technology world will descend this weekend on Las Vegas, bound for the annual spectacle of new gadgets known as the International CES. As soon as the Northeast digs its way out of the snow, I will be on my way for hands-on coverage of this carnival of consumer devices. Big companies such … Continue reading “Startups Poised to Make Their Mark Alongside the Big Guys at CES”

Scientific Reproducibility: Raising the Standards for Biomedicine

The vast majority of findings published in high-profile biomedical research publications can’t be reproduced by independent laboratories. Multiple groups have come to this same shocking conclusion in recent years, and it has deservedly generated considerable attention. It matters because the ability to reproduce a result is fundamental to establishing the legitimacy of a new research … Continue reading “Scientific Reproducibility: Raising the Standards for Biomedicine”

The Future of Education: 10 Trends To Watch

It is that time of the year when we tend to pause, reflect, and look forward. What have we achieved in the year just passed? What are the highlights of culture, business, technology, and trends that we have observed around us? For me, the most exciting and positive movement at present is in the domain … Continue reading “The Future of Education: 10 Trends To Watch”

New Online Services Put You Back in Command of Your 401(k)

If you’re still in search of a New Year’s resolution, here’s one you’re free to borrow from me: Become a more active and self-reliant manager of your retirement investment accounts, using some of the affordable new tools available online. This week I’ve been exploring two of the leading services, Jemstep and Personal Capital. After just … Continue reading “New Online Services Put You Back in Command of Your 401(k)”

MassRoots Building Digital Hub for Multi-Billion Cannabis Industry

Colorado took a big step toward becoming “the Silicon Valley of cannabis” on Wednesday when it became legal to sell marijuana in the state, according to the founder of MassRoots, a tech startup that’s moving here to take advantage of the state’s burgeoning cannabis economy and friendly laws. MassRoots is an app-based social network for … Continue reading “MassRoots Building Digital Hub for Multi-Billion Cannabis Industry”

Here’s What Mobile Industry Insiders See Ahead for 2014

By now, you should know the truly big stories in the mobile sector: Samsung’s rise to challenge Apple, Microsoft finally acquiring Nokia, Google leaping into wearables, more moves toward carrier consolidation. But if you want to get a jump start on some of the biggest trends shaping up in the mobile industry, you could do … Continue reading “Here’s What Mobile Industry Insiders See Ahead for 2014”

New Venture Funds, Sympoz’s Big Score are Top Colorado Stories for 4Q

With 2013 finally in the books, here’s a rundown of some of the top stories from the final three months of the year.  -VC firms close 2013 with a flourish Colorado’s small community of venture capitalists seized the spotlight in late December, with news emerging that two prominent local firms were seeking to raise funds … Continue reading “New Venture Funds, Sympoz’s Big Score are Top Colorado Stories for 4Q”

Tech Bubble Leaks Air, Healthcare Bests Biotech, & More for 2014

The coming year will see some good news and some bad news in tech. Here are five predictions. • IPOs: This past year witnessed an extraordinary resurgence in IPO activity for venture-backed companies. It felt much like 1999 right before the crest of the wave. With modest growth, unsustainably high valuation multiples, little excess left for … Continue reading “Tech Bubble Leaks Air, Healthcare Bests Biotech, & More for 2014”

The Year in Innovation: Xconomy’s Top 13 Stories of 2013

If you only have time to read a few of our articles from the past year, these are the ones. These are editor’s picks (mine). They are not based on Web traffic, but rather on a subjective weighting of their impact, significance, and representation of our mission and geographies. Xconomy is now in 9 regions … Continue reading “The Year in Innovation: Xconomy’s Top 13 Stories of 2013”

Remembering James L. Vincent, Longtime Biogen Leader

Are they making innovators quite like James L. Vincent any more? This question, spurred by Vincent’s death on Dec. 5, has more edge these days as we worry how Americans are going to keep inventing, making, and selling new things to earn a good living in a sharply competitive world. More bluntly, do the innovators … Continue reading “Remembering James L. Vincent, Longtime Biogen Leader”

Help Wanted: Houston vs. Austin and the Search for the Best IT Talent

Last May, we announced that we were moving Datafiniti to Austin. A big reason for our move was the lack of a suitable talent pool from which to hire. There was a lot of skepticism—perhaps surprisingly so—around our reasoning. At the time, we provided what I thought was a healthy dose of data to back … Continue reading “Help Wanted: Houston vs. Austin and the Search for the Best IT Talent”

Aventura Receives $2,502,312 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7ef0dcf4-6698-413a-b72c-730400352a32 Date 12/31/2013 Company Name Aventura Mailing Address 1001 17th St. Denver, CO 80202 Company Description Aventura provides healthcare IT and workflow solutions for clinicians. Website http://www.aventurahq.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,502,312 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. Contact technology company for solicitation … Continue reading “Aventura Receives $2,502,312 New Financing”

Why Angels Should Keep Their Distance from Crowdfunding in 2014

There’s certainly been a lot of uncertainty in the angel and venture capital arenas over the past decade, and understandably so. Add to that, the lure of crowdfunding—a nearly $3 billion business in 2012—and it’s led some angel groups to consider if there is a role for individual investors in crowdfunding their deals. My advice … Continue reading “Why Angels Should Keep Their Distance from Crowdfunding in 2014”

Why Business and Personal Email Are Not the Same

We all carry certain expectations about email from our private lives into a corporate setting. Some of those expectations are met, but in other ways business email is very different from consumer email. These differences can be confusing at best and, at worst, lead to major problems for organizations. The Inside and the Outside To … Continue reading “Why Business and Personal Email Are Not the Same”

Good, Business, and Good Business

Here in the 20-teens, the roles of for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, government, NGO’s, foundations, investors and philanthropists are beginning to blur together. We are quickly finding ourselves in a world where it is not only possible to do good while doing business, but expected. This is quite a change from the “Friedman Doctrine” that claimed … Continue reading “Good, Business, and Good Business”

4 Tech Trends That Will Impact Risk and Compliance Efforts in 2014

Once business organizations reach a certain size, their leaders have to start thinking systematically about how to structure reporting relationships to ensure vital information reaches the top; how to identify and account for the internal and external risks that could hobble the company; and how to ensure the organization is complying with a skein of … Continue reading “4 Tech Trends That Will Impact Risk and Compliance Efforts in 2014”

My Top Picks in Bio-Venture Innovations, and Predictions for 2014

I am a biotech VC, but not a techie. So I don’t follow stem cells, gene therapy, and other similar “blockbuster” technologies in the life sciences. Rather than looking at all the gosh-and-golly stuff going into the biotech pipeline, I wait to see what is coming out of the other end. So far, very little … Continue reading “My Top Picks in Bio-Venture Innovations, and Predictions for 2014”

We Ask the Xconomists: Some Quick Predictions for the New Year

As 2013 drew to a close, we asked some of our Xconomists to ponder innovation, past and future, and to give us their predictions for the breakout innovations they expect to see in their respective fields. Here’s what they had to say: Texas Xconomist Blair Garrou, managing director at Mercury Fund in Houston: I’m excited … Continue reading “We Ask the Xconomists: Some Quick Predictions for the New Year”

Observations From Korea’s Creative Economy 2013 Conference

Innovation is one of those goals that transcends borders. Spurring technology innovation, and through it the creation of new industries that accelerate job growth, is always high on the agenda of any advanced economy. But what if you had to change the culture of an entire nation at the same time? That’s a major part … Continue reading “Observations From Korea’s Creative Economy 2013 Conference”

SnowShoe Makes Impression with High-Tech Software, Low-Tech Stamp

So how does SnowShoe, a four-person tech startup originally from Madison, WI, and now split between that city and San Francisco, plan to make it big? With a little plastic widget that’s about 2 inches long, 1 inch wide, less than an inch thick, and can be made by a 3-D printer for less than … Continue reading “SnowShoe Makes Impression with High-Tech Software, Low-Tech Stamp”

A Need to Know: Adding DNA and Geomedicine Data to Patient Records

It takes a lot of patience to be a patient. There are about 1.2 billion physician office visits annually in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The center, which has collected data on this subject for decades, also reports that patients wait an average of just “north” of 11 minutes … Continue reading “A Need to Know: Adding DNA and Geomedicine Data to Patient Records”

SnowShoe Tries to Succeed With One Foot in Madison, Other in SF

To stay in the nurturing environment of the place where you were raised, or to strike out into the unknown to find your fortune? It’s a quandary even for startups—especially when they become the local favorites and standard bearers. An example is SnowShoe, a startup from Madison, WI. The four-person tech firm was born in … Continue reading “SnowShoe Tries to Succeed With One Foot in Madison, Other in SF”

Diverse Software Developer Talent—A Gift That Keeps on Giving

Here’s a fresh take on the spirit of giving: Ten Washington technology companies have agreed to “pay it forward” by supporting Seattle’s first not-for-profit coding academy focused on preparing women who show technical aptitude, but have little or no technical experience, to become software developers. During the Technology Alliance’s early days in the mid-1990s, Washington … Continue reading “Diverse Software Developer Talent—A Gift That Keeps on Giving”