This event gives participants 54 hours to start hacking away on what could be the next big mobile or Web technology idea. Developers, designers, and businesspeople will work together to build products and a compelling business plan to support them. Register here.
Category: Detroit
As Auto Industry Goes Electric, Michigan Startup Wants to Dot Nation with PEP Stations
As if to place an exclamation point on the electrification of the auto industry, the Chevy Volt was named the North American Car of the Year yesterday at the 2011 North American International Auto Show. But many here in Detroit are wondering when the missing pieces to this fast-approaching Auto Industry 2.0 are going to … Continue reading “As Auto Industry Goes Electric, Michigan Startup Wants to Dot Nation with PEP Stations”
Trend Spotting: The Top 9 Rise & Falls We See in the Year Ahead
[Editor’s Note: This post was co-authored with Josh Wolfe of Lux Capital] 1. The Rise of Celebrity Science Nations, cultures, economies all get what they celebrate. Celebrate celebrities and we’ll have another generation of over-consumptive, over-indebted, overweight, underemployed citizenry. But celebrate scientists: thinkers, doers, achievers, explorers, inventors, creators and we stand a shot at restoring … Continue reading “Trend Spotting: The Top 9 Rise & Falls We See in the Year Ahead”
Mithridion Lands $1,250,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7f882144-5f7b-4e69-8157-0f79f376b94f&Preview=1 Date 1/11/2011 Company Name Mithridion Mailing Address 505 Science Drive Madison, WI 537121 Company Description Mithridion is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops drugs for neurodegenerative diseases, with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease. Website http://www.mithridion.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,250,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Mithridion intends to … Continue reading “Mithridion Lands $1,250,000 New Funding Round”
Toyota Announces Ann Arbor Safety Research Center
Toyota announced that it will invest roughly $50 million over five years to launch and fund a safety research center at its Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, MI. The Collaborative Safety Research Center will include the University of Michigan as a charter partner, and will work with other research institutions, federal agencies, universities, hospitals, … Continue reading “Toyota Announces Ann Arbor Safety Research Center”
Wind Power Holdings, With Big Michigan Footprint, Raises $12.7M
Barre, VT-based Wind Power Holdings, the parent company of wind turbine developer Northern Power Systems, has wrapped up a $12.7 million round of equity-based funding, according to a document filed with the SEC. The filing notes that the money comes from 33 investors, including two from outside of the U.S. Northern Power, which dates back … Continue reading “Wind Power Holdings, With Big Michigan Footprint, Raises $12.7M”
D-NewTech Meetup
This event will feature Josh Linkner, founder of the newly formed Detroit Venture Partners, as a guest speaker. There will also be a handful of area tech startups demoing what they’re working on. Sign up here for the event (and to get information on other events held by this group).
Surprises of 2010 and What to Look for in 2011
Biggest Surprises: How risk adverse most VC’s are. I was expecting “bigger thinking” and more insight into energy and energy efficiency issues. How little debate there is in the media regarding global warming and the cause/effects: many automatically believe that the earth is getting warmer and humans are the cause, even though measured data strongly … Continue reading “Surprises of 2010 and What to Look for in 2011”
Top 4 Cleantech Headlines to Watch for in 2011
1. Cap and Trade Discarded by Congress in National Energy Policy Cascadia believes that Congress will implement a national energy policy in the coming year that focuses primarily on incenting new production of natural gas, renewable energies and nuclear; however, it will not include economic penalties for not achieving a reduction in carbon emissions. 2. … Continue reading “Top 4 Cleantech Headlines to Watch for in 2011”
See You at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference
Techies gathered last week for the annual show-and-tell/schmoozefest known as the Consumer Electronics Show. Now it’s the biotechies turn to have their big conference of the year. The madhouse known as the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference officially starts today, for the 29th year, at San Francisco’s Union Square. I’m here as always, looking forward to … Continue reading “See You at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference”
Luma Resources Finds Innovative Road Ahead, Through Solar-Power Shingles
When I hear roofing and sheet metal, I don’t think about technological innovation. But Luma Resources, a Rochester Hills, MI-based startup that sprung out of the now 60-year-old roofing company Allen Brothers, is using its expertise in that business to put solar energy into more homes. Rather than finding ways of affixing solar panels to … Continue reading “Luma Resources Finds Innovative Road Ahead, Through Solar-Power Shingles”
Groupon Secures $450,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=49a314a2-e524-4245-940a-2711cdb96157&Preview=1 Date 1/10/2011 Company Name Groupon Mailing Address 600 W Chicago Ave Chicago, IL 60654 Company Description Launched in November 2008, Groupon features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in a variety of cities across the United States. We have about 40 wonderful people working … Continue reading “Groupon Secures $450,000,000 New Funding Round”
GM Ventures Invests $5M in Powermat, Gets Exclusive Right to Wireless Chargers for Year
General Motors is not only an investor in wireless charging startup Powermat, it will also be its exclusive automotive customer for a year. GM Ventures, the Detroit automaker’s venture capital arm, has invested $5 million in Powermat to help push the Commerce Township, MI-based company’s products into GM cars, including the gas-electric hybrid Chevy Volt. … Continue reading “GM Ventures Invests $5M in Powermat, Gets Exclusive Right to Wireless Chargers for Year”
Here Are Six Features Apple Should Include in the iPad 2 (And They’re Not the Ones You Think)
Unlike most of my tech-journalism brethren, I’m not at the circus in Las Vegas this week. Neither is Apple—the hardware giant has traditionally skipped the International Consumer Electronics Show, rightly figuring that it can generate all the hype it needs just by inviting a few hundred people to the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco … Continue reading “Here Are Six Features Apple Should Include in the iPad 2 (And They’re Not the Ones You Think)”
Some Prognostications on Biotechnology in 2011
After consulting with the Oracle at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, here are a few of the trends I was told to watch for in 2011… Two revolutionizing pharmaceutical frontiers are on the horizon—RNA therapeutics and stem cell therapies: —RNA therapeutics will become a big reality in 2011. Mipomersen, a LDL lowering drug from … Continue reading “Some Prognostications on Biotechnology in 2011”
General Electric Acquires SmartSignal for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a4196a0d-577c-42a0-ab58-1d838025c76c&Preview=1 Date 1/7/2011 Company Name SmartSignal Mailing Address 901 Warrenville Road Lisle, IL 60532 Company Description SmartSignal Corporation is a privately held software solutions company founded by the University of Chicago to make the revolutionary Similarity-Based Modeling (SBM) technology commercially available. Website http://www.smartsignal.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds … Continue reading “General Electric Acquires SmartSignal for Undisclosed Sum”
Less Changey, But Still Hopey About 2011
Last year at year end, I wrote about technology trends. Those trends, like the merger of the cloud and mobile devices, personalized medicine, reprogramming of human cells to cure disease, and the re-emergence of nanotechnology, still hold. Startups are breaking down impossible barriers in computing, biology, energy, and materials science. The USA is leading and … Continue reading “Less Changey, But Still Hopey About 2011”
Ann Arbor’s Mobiata, After Expedia Takeover, Seeks to Put Travel Info on Your Handheld
Ann Arbor-based Mobiata got a good second birthday present, even if it was a day late. The mobile app developer was acquired by Internet travel empire Expedia.com in November, in a deal that was referred to as Expedia’s “most significant investment to date in addressing the mobile travel market.” The acquisition came one day after … Continue reading “Ann Arbor’s Mobiata, After Expedia Takeover, Seeks to Put Travel Info on Your Handheld”
My Three Predictions for 2011
In 2011, the U.S. economy will come roaring back as our businesses and their customers gain confidence that the electorate has come to its senses and chosen not to grow governments but economies instead. In 2011, the last jihadist jerk will accidently blow himself up, at home without harming anyone else. In 2011, the progress … Continue reading “My Three Predictions for 2011”
Five Technology Trends to Watch in 2011
“Real” 4G Mobile broadband. Verizon recently launched its 4G LTE network (via laptop modem cards). The Verizon network speed dwarfs the “4G” networks being advertised by Sprint and T-Mobile. Verizon’s 4G will be users’ first taste of true mobile broadband and will further drive mobile data usage and the percentage of time users spend on … Continue reading “Five Technology Trends to Watch in 2011”
Five Things To Look For In The Coming Year In Healthcare/Life Sciences
1. Data‐Driven Healthcare. In 2011 and into this next decade, the rate of data generation from biological measurement will continue to accelerate. Making sense of this deluge of data from sources as disparate as electronic medical records, biometric sensors, population statistics, environmental factors, and genomics will be the interesting part! Nimble start‐ups that can aggregate … Continue reading “Five Things To Look For In The Coming Year In Healthcare/Life Sciences”
Ann Arbor Fuel Cell Developer Adaptive Materials Acquired by Ultra Electronics Holdings
Adaptive Materials, an Ann Arbor, MI-based developer of solid oxide fuel cells for use by the military and in recreational vehicles, has been acquired by UK-based Ultra Electronics Holdings. Adaptive Materials announced in a news released today that it will continue to develop and manufacture its propane-powered fuel cell systems from its current Ann Arbor … Continue reading “Ann Arbor Fuel Cell Developer Adaptive Materials Acquired by Ultra Electronics Holdings”
Vaccine Innovations That Will Expedite Access for the Next Generation of Treatments
As viral pandemics and drug resistant bacteria become more common, it is imperative that the pharmaceutical industry increases its efforts to develop truly revolutionary treatments to combat infectious diseases. One area of focus is the development of new prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. When a pandemic strikes, the traditional vaccine development and manufacturing process is cumbersome … Continue reading “Vaccine Innovations That Will Expedite Access for the Next Generation of Treatments”
Zferral Wants to Help Businesses Turn Their Customers Into Marketers
“We think that your existing customers are your best advocates,” says Detroit area native and entrepreneur Jeffrey Epstein. His startup, Zferral, is looking to make it easy for a small- to medium-sized business to enable consumers to better spread the good word about its brand—and to reward them for bringing in business. The Web-based Zferral … Continue reading “Zferral Wants to Help Businesses Turn Their Customers Into Marketers”
CNS Therapeutics Obtains $3,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7d84f8c7-e9f2-43c1-b6ed-56d45727e6be&Preview=1 Date 1/4/2011 Company Name CNS Therapeutics Mailing Address 32 Minnesota Street Saint Paul, MN 55101 Company Description Operates as a pharmaceutical company. Website http://www.cnstherapeutics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed
Aursos Raises $40K for Osteoporosis Treatment
Aursos, a Kalamazoo, MI, company that uses a protein found in black bears to try to prevent bone loss in people who suffer from osteoporosis, has raised $40,000 toward a $230,000 round of debt, rights and securities, according to VentureWire. In March, VentureWire reported the company raised $60,000 toward a $740,000 equity round. Previously, the … Continue reading “Aursos Raises $40K for Osteoporosis Treatment”
StartupDigest Hits Detroit To Generate Buzz on Area Entrepreneur Events
StartupDigest, a San Francisco-based publisher of online newsletters covering startup communities, has just added the Detroit Metro area to the network of more than 50 areas it tracks worldwide. The publication emails more than 100,000 subscribers across its network each Monday with events and reading lists surrounding the startup and innovation communities in their areas. … Continue reading “StartupDigest Hits Detroit To Generate Buzz on Area Entrepreneur Events”
Venture-Backed Buyouts at Record Volume as Increasing Pace of Exits Mark Possible Recovery
Initial public offerings and acquisitions surged for venture-backed companies during the fourth quarter of 2010. The results suggest a recovery in the overall pace of “liquidity events” since the capital crisis of 2008, which triggered a painful economic recession throughout the U.S. and elsewhere. Most of the IPO activity was driven by Chinese companies going … Continue reading “Venture-Backed Buyouts at Record Volume as Increasing Pace of Exits Mark Possible Recovery”
How 2011 Will Unfold in Healthcare
It’s the beginning of the year—an opportune time to forecast how 2011 will unfold in healthcare. We are likely to see some surprises, such as the sharply rising importance of primary care physicians. Here are some predictions about the new year: • More consolidation is on its way in healthcare under Obamacare, which heightens the … Continue reading “How 2011 Will Unfold in Healthcare”
Hygieia Progressing with Software and Device to Guide Insulin Dosages for Diabetics
Diabetics can often beat back the effects of their disease through their own actions such as diet and exercise. But when it comes to adjusting their insulin dosages to better control their blood-sugar levels, they typically need to consult a doctor or clinician. Ann Arbor, MI-based Hygieia is developing technology to put changing insulin dosages … Continue reading “Hygieia Progressing with Software and Device to Guide Insulin Dosages for Diabetics”
Five Popular Predictions for 2011 That Are Wrong
1. Prediction in Vogue: 2011 will be the year of the “Super Angel” Reality: Given all the angel investment activity, and the fact that it has never been easier to start a new company (low cost of computer power, plenty of talented people, plenty of real estate, etc), too many “me too” companies will be … Continue reading “Five Popular Predictions for 2011 That Are Wrong”
The Top 10 Ways 2010 Changed Mobile Apps
This month, IDC analysts released a forecast report showing that mobile apps will support more of our everyday interactions, with downloads projected to increase to nearly 76.9 billion in 2014. However, while future predictions are great to consider, it’s always valuable to take a look back at what actually happened over the past year. Undoubtedly … Continue reading “The Top 10 Ways 2010 Changed Mobile Apps”
Centro Media Receives $22,499,997 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e452e36c-5aca-44e0-ab68-638d1f6c8a2e&Preview=1 Date 12/31/2010 Company Name Centro Media Mailing Address 222 W. Hubbard St. Chicago, IL 60654 Company Description Our proprietary technology, Transis, streamlines the process of planning, negotiating, trafficking and billing so agencies can devote more resources to strategic thinking for their clients. Website http://www.centro.net Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $22,499,997 … Continue reading “Centro Media Receives $22,499,997 New Round”
Top Five Biotech Surprises & Innovations of 2010, and Five Trends to Watch for in 2011
1. FDA’s decision to remove the breast cancer indication from the label of bevacizumab (Avastin). 2. Approval of Dendreon’s sipuleucel-T (Provenge), representing a new class of drug. 3. Sanofi-Aventis’ pursuit of Genzyme. It illustrates an industry move towards adding orphan and rare therapeutic areas to pharma portfolios. Another example of the trend came when Pfizer … Continue reading “Top Five Biotech Surprises & Innovations of 2010, and Five Trends to Watch for in 2011”
Xconomy Man of Year for 2010—Plus a Gigantic Energy Prediction for 2011
My Xconomy “Man of the Year” for 2010 would not be Mark Zuckerberg (that should have been a year or two ago if you are on the leading edge like Xconomy), but rather Andrew Mason, founder of Groupon. The speed and magnitude that this business innovation achieved through this company was stunning and still boggles … Continue reading “Xconomy Man of Year for 2010—Plus a Gigantic Energy Prediction for 2011”
Groupon Lands $500,000,141 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=eb210bcd-0d8a-41f3-8140-dbd30f69cdee&Preview=1 Date 12/30/2010 Company Name Groupon Mailing Address 600 W Chicago Ave Chicago, IL 60654 Company Description Launched in November 2008, Groupon features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in a variety of cities across the United States. We have about 40 wonderful people working … Continue reading “Groupon Lands $500,000,141 New Funding”
The Top 3 Technology Surprises of 2010, and Six Predictions for 2011
Top Surprises of 2010: · Magnitude of iPad success · Isilon’s acquisition by EMC as well as the resurgence of the storage sector overall · Rapid growth of Android smart phones 2011 Predictions: · Continued growth of web services and people will stop referring to things as “private”, “public” and “hybrid” cloud and focus more … Continue reading “The Top 3 Technology Surprises of 2010, and Six Predictions for 2011”
Northern California’s Top 5 Biotech Innovation News Stories
The year that was 2010 was another year on the rollercoaster. We had our ups and our downs. But throughout, we continued to be at the forefront of innovation. From mature companies to emerging technologies, 2010 was an exciting year. Here are BayBio’s top five stories for 2010. 1. Amgen secures approval for two new … Continue reading “Northern California’s Top 5 Biotech Innovation News Stories”
One Surprise in the Auto Industry in 2010—With More on the Road Ahead
We saw much of what has happened coming. I am surprised at how quickly the domestic auto industry has become profitable at still a depression level of sales. Looking ahead I think we will be surprised at the rate of cost reduction of batteries and electric and plug-in hybrid technology. [Editor’s Note: This is part … Continue reading “One Surprise in the Auto Industry in 2010—With More on the Road Ahead”
Ifbyphone Obtains Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c817f67f-0f48-45ee-b20e-b7ff19be9c50&Preview=1 Date 12/28/2010 Company Name Ifbyphone Mailing Address 8800 Bronx Skokie, IL 60077 Company Description Ifbyphone is a hosted voice application and platform company with a simplified approach to the deployment of stand-alone and web-integrated voice services for small and medium sized businesses (SMB). Combining advanced telephony and web services, ifbyphone’s web-integrated … Continue reading “Ifbyphone Obtains Series B Financing Round”
Vaccines Top the List of 2010 Innovations
For us it would be in the area of vaccines first. The approval of the first cancer therapeutic vaccine from Dendreon in prostate cancer establishes the concept that immunotherapy is a conceptually achievable and clinically useful approach for treating cancer. This allows us and others to develop novel concepts of immunotherapy for cancer. On another … Continue reading “Vaccines Top the List of 2010 Innovations”
Silent Power Lands $2,000,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ecf6eafc-881d-4c0d-a421-2876f8180578&Preview=1 Date 12/27/2010 Company Name Silent Power Mailing Address 8175 Industrial Park Rd. Baxter, MN 56425 Company Description Silent Power was founded in 2002 with an initial focus on innovative and reliable power conversion and energy storage equipment for the off grid market. The company created patented technology to allow a high … Continue reading “Silent Power Lands $2,000,000 Series A Funding”
The Story of Detroit Added Some Significant Chapters in 2010; Here Are 10 of Them
When Xconomy Detroit launched in April 2010, I wrote that this city is a verb, in a constant state of action, of “becoming,” of striving for something greater. Having lived in Michigan for much of my life, I can say that this was true even in good times, and certainly even more so in bad. … Continue reading “The Story of Detroit Added Some Significant Chapters in 2010; Here Are 10 of Them”
Endocyte Garners $8,100,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a4148d38-00ab-4b93-95d9-1208b49cb728&Preview=1 Date 12/23/2010 Company Name Endocyte Mailing Address 3000 Kent Avenue West Lafayette, IN 47906 Company Description Endocyte, Inc, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, is developing a new generation of receptor-targeted therapeutics or smart drugs for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Website http://www.endocyte.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $8,100,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Endocyte Garners $8,100,000 New Funding”
Area Entrepreneurs Launch Detroit Venture Partners To Turn Motown Into A Tech and Innovation Hub
We’ve written about a number of investors and nonprofits looking to attract and keep companies in Michigan as a way to help the state’s economy kick back into gear. But Detroit Venture Partners is looking to go a bit further. The brand new venture firm wants its portfolio companies to move their operations right into … Continue reading “Area Entrepreneurs Launch Detroit Venture Partners To Turn Motown Into A Tech and Innovation Hub”
Teradata Acquires Aprimo for $525,000,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=751acbb6-712a-4eb0-bc3a-914931f3cff7&Preview=1 Date 12/22/2010 Company Name Aprimo Mailing Address 900 East 96th Street Indianapolis, IN 46240 Company Description Aprimo is the global leader in delivering software that translates the value of the brand into value for the enterprise. Aprimo provides an Enterprise Marketing Management (EMM) product to leading marketing organizations around the world. … Continue reading “Teradata Acquires Aprimo for $525,000,000”
Survey Shows Venture Industry’s Outlook Brightening for 2011
Venture capitalists and venture-backed CEOs are feeling more optimistic about 2011, according to the fifth annual outlook survey being released today by the National Venture Capital Association and Dow Jones VentureSource. The most recent “Venture View” survey is based on responses from more than 330 VCs and 180 executives that were collected nationwide at the … Continue reading “Survey Shows Venture Industry’s Outlook Brightening for 2011”
Northern Power Systems Tapping Michigan Partners for Utility-Scale Wind Business
Northern Power System, the Barre, VT-based wind energy firm, has made some progress in its years-long pursuit of the lucrative market for utility-grade wind turbines. The company has made much of this progress here in Michigan. Last month the company shipped its first prototype of a utility-scale, 2.2-megawatt wind turbine to Traverse City, MI-based Heritage … Continue reading “Northern Power Systems Tapping Michigan Partners for Utility-Scale Wind Business”
Automation Alley Chief Named Trade Adviser
Ken Rogers, executive director of Automation Alley, the Troy, MI-based technology business association, has been appointed to a trade advisory panel by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. Automation Alley, in a news release, says Rogers will serve on the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Information and Communications Technologies, Services, and Electronic Commerce. He will … Continue reading “Automation Alley Chief Named Trade Adviser”
iStocking Stuffers: The Best Apps for That iPad Under the Tree
So you know someone who’s lucky enough to be getting an Apple iPad as a Christmas present. Well, that’s just the beginning of the adventure. The next step is to get their device loaded up with great apps—and naturally, they’ll want a few that show off the iPad’s remarkable capabilities. Today I’m sharing my ideas … Continue reading “iStocking Stuffers: The Best Apps for That iPad Under the Tree”