Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3fa45cb5-2465-423e-9b08-d7049a44727f&Preview=1 Date 10/21/2010 Company Name Adesso Solutions Mailing Address 3701 Algonquin Rd. Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Company Description Adesso Solutions is a leading integrated technology solutions provider primarily serving the Consumer Goods industry. Our solution suite is the best of the Adesso Solutions’ TradeAdvantage and Gelco TMG product offerings delivered on a … Continue reading “Adesso Solutions Lands $6,000,000 New Financing Round”
Category: Detroit
Study Shows Startup Executive Pay on the Mend
A study of private information technology and life sciences companies shows that tech executive pay is recovering from a dismal 2009. And it provides the public a rare glimpse at how much executives at startups are paid; that’s information privately held firms don’t have to divulge to the SEC, as public companies do. The CompStudy—completed … Continue reading “Study Shows Startup Executive Pay on the Mend”
The Challenge of Understanding Biotech: Sifting Through the Fog and Jargon
I recently enjoyed reading two books on the mortgage meltdown, “The Big Short” by Michael Lewis and Gregory Zuckerman’s “The Greatest Trade Ever.” They each provided a detailed post-mortem on the implosion of the housing bubble. What fascinated me most about their accounts was how virtually everyone on Wall Street, with a few notable exceptions, … Continue reading “The Challenge of Understanding Biotech: Sifting Through the Fog and Jargon”
How’s Your Salary? Detroit Area Wages Still Down After Signs of Recovery
If you’re feeling squeezed by the recession, you’re obviously not alone. Since the bottom fell out of the economy in 2009, the Detroit metro area in particular has been struggling to regain its footing when it comes to jobs and wages. Now, after a promising start to 2010, things might be heading downhill again. That’s … Continue reading “How’s Your Salary? Detroit Area Wages Still Down After Signs of Recovery”
For Critical Signal Technologies, An Aggressive Approach to Growing the Telehealth Industry
Jeffery Prough, CEO of Critical Signal Technologies, is taking an alternative approach to reforming the healthcare system. Instead of getting caught up in political debate, Prough is using his business to try to improve healthcare conditions. Critical Signal, the Farmington Hills, MI-based company that Prough founded in 2006, is already one of the five largest … Continue reading “For Critical Signal Technologies, An Aggressive Approach to Growing the Telehealth Industry”
SetPoint Medical Secures $5,000,001 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=eb5371f3-48cd-4c39-b203-568475e82149&Preview=1 Date 10/19/2010 Company Name SetPoint Medical Mailing Address 1000 Twelve Oakes Center Wayzata, MN 55391 Company Description The company develops neuron-modulation platform technology to treat chronic diseases. Website http://www.setpointmedical.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,001 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms … Continue reading “SetPoint Medical Secures $5,000,001 New Funding Round”
Aastrom Gets FDA Fast Track Status, Gears Up for Pivotal Study of Cell Therapy
Aastrom Biosciences is gearing up for a definitive test of a first-of-its-kind regenerative medicine that uses adult stem cells. The Ann Arbor, MI-based biotech company said today it has gotten the FDA’s “fast track” designation for its pivotal clinical trial plan of a treatment that it hopes will help people with severe cardiovascular disease to … Continue reading “Aastrom Gets FDA Fast Track Status, Gears Up for Pivotal Study of Cell Therapy”
Abvio vs. FitnessKeeper: The Running App Founder Smackdown
If you’re a runner, walker, or cyclist, there’s a lot of great mobile technology these days to help you track your activity and stay motivated. On Friday I reviewed two apps in particular: RunKeeper from Boston-based FitnessKeeper, and Runmeter from San Francisco-based Abvio. I talked about my personal experiences using the apps, which both work … Continue reading “Abvio vs. FitnessKeeper: The Running App Founder Smackdown”
Borders, BookBrewer Team Up for E-Publishing
Ann Arbor, MI-based Borders Group (NYSE: [[ticker:BGP]]) said today it has formed a partnership with BookBrewer, a subsidiary of Colorado-based electronic publishing and distribution firm FeedBrewer, to provide an e-publishing service through Borders’ eBook store. Financial terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed. The paid service, which will be available on Oct. 25, will allow writers … Continue reading “Borders, BookBrewer Team Up for E-Publishing”
New CEO Hired at V-Vehicle, Now Called Next Autoworks
V-Vehicle, the San Diego-based automotive startup whose investors include Google Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, and T. Boone Pickens, has a new name and a new CEO. The company, which has been rechristened Next Autoworks, named former Tower Automotive CEO Kathleen Ligocki as chief executive earlier this week. Next Autoworks also has operations in Detroit and northeastern … Continue reading “New CEO Hired at V-Vehicle, Now Called Next Autoworks”
RunKeeper Versus Runmeter on the iPhone: A Newbie Runner’s Review
[Corrected, see p. 2] If there’s one seductive thing about being a startup entrepreneur, it’s that you can utterly neglect exercise without feeling guilty about it. After all, doesn’t building a great company require every moment of wakefulness, every ounce of concentration? I know I’ve got a lot to show for my last three years … Continue reading “RunKeeper Versus Runmeter on the iPhone: A Newbie Runner’s Review”
New Reality for U.S. Venture Capital: Data Shows Startup Deals Are Smaller, More Numerous and More Capital-Efficient
The MoneyTree Report on third-quarter venture funding echoes results that we reported earlier this week, showing $4.8 billion was invested in 780 venture deals nationwide. That was a 7 percent decline in venture capital invested—but a nearly 9 percent increase in the number of deals—compared with the same quarter in 2009, when almost $5.2 billion … Continue reading “New Reality for U.S. Venture Capital: Data Shows Startup Deals Are Smaller, More Numerous and More Capital-Efficient”
StudyBlue Secures $3,650,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=63ab91f8-1556-492e-8502-4b78075cadf5&Preview=1 Date 10/15/2010 Company Name StudyBlue Mailing Address 602 State Street Madison, WI 53703 Company Description StudyBlue is your online home to store lecture notes and make flashcards, with efficient tools that help focus your studying where you need it most, making your review sessions more efficient. Website http://www.StudyBlue.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “StudyBlue Secures $3,650,000 Series A Funding Round”
The “Disney-Sized Imaginations” at Loveland Are Out to Reverse Detroit’s Decay with Digital Maps
It would be easy to dismiss Jerry Paffendorf and his friends as a bunch of art-nerd carpetbaggers from San Francisco who see Detroit as the latest canvas for their airy-fairy ideas about virtual communities and social entrepreneurship. In fact, that’s how some locals reacted when reports surfaced in The Detroit News last year that Paffendorf … Continue reading “The “Disney-Sized Imaginations” at Loveland Are Out to Reverse Detroit’s Decay with Digital Maps”
ChaCha Search Obtains $20,000,000 Series F Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7ca5e651-ac20-4ef5-8fdd-218cbf761240&Preview=1 Date 10/14/2010 Company Name ChaCha Search Mailing Address 14550 Clay Terrace Blvd Carmel, IN 46032 Company Description ChaCha is available online and on your phone with information when you need it…any time, anywhere. Other services scan the Internet and return the thousands of pages that mathematically match your query. But, because … Continue reading “ChaCha Search Obtains $20,000,000 Series F Funding”
CarWoo Promises Car Buyers Hassle-Free Quotes Online, Raises $4.2 Million
The Internet was supposed to make car shopping easier, Tommy McClung is explaining. Back in the 1990s, sites like Vehix.com, Cars.com, and Autotrader.com promised a future where you wouldn’t have to haggle with a salesman, and where you didn’t have to drive from dealer to dealer just to see who could offer the best price … Continue reading “CarWoo Promises Car Buyers Hassle-Free Quotes Online, Raises $4.2 Million”
140 Character Conference
Twitter does Detroit at this all-day event on the social media tool. Session topics will include tweeting Detroit, social media for the common good, and the real-time applications on news gathering, education, medicine and much more. Register online.
Test Driving the Future of General Motors: My Experience Behind the Wheel of the Chevy Volt
Ten years ago the electric car seemed to be the wave of the future. But in those days of peace and cheap gas, consumers weren’t really demanding the technology. Today that problem has been turned on its ear, as clean energy vehicles are popping up on the factory floor of most major car companies, each … Continue reading “Test Driving the Future of General Motors: My Experience Behind the Wheel of the Chevy Volt”
Venture Trend Toward Smaller-Size Deals Continues as Survey Shows Big Q3 Funding Surge in Texas, Drop in Massachusetts
Our friends at CB Insights made an early break out of the gate again today with data on venture capital investments in private companies, this time reporting total VC funding of $5.4 billion in 715 deals nationwide for the third quarter that ended Sept. 30. The CB Insights Venture Capital Activity Report shows, though, that … Continue reading “Venture Trend Toward Smaller-Size Deals Continues as Survey Shows Big Q3 Funding Surge in Texas, Drop in Massachusetts”
NanoBio, U-M Nab $1.5M to Treat Combat Injuries
NanoBio, the Ann Arbor, MI-based company developing nanotech formulations of drugs and vaccines, said today it has been awarded a $1.5 million federal research grant along with the University of Michigan to study how to prevent burn wounds on the battlefield from getting dangerously infected. The grant, from the U.S. Department of Defense, will be … Continue reading “NanoBio, U-M Nab $1.5M to Treat Combat Injuries”
Michigan Emerging Conference
This conference is out to connect entrepreneurs and other members of the area innovation landscape. The panel speakers include members from government organizations, investment firms, and startups in the cleantech and IT spaces. Networking sessions will punctuate the day, too. More information on the event is here.
Beringea, Women’s Angel Fund, and Resonant Venture Partners: An Investor Roundup
It’s shaping up to be a busy week for Michigan venture capital and angel investment news. —Dexter, MI-based ReCellular, an electronic waste company focused on collecting and recycling mobile phones, cameras, and other devices, said yesterday it has received an investment from Beringea. The amount of financing was not disclosed, but it was made through … Continue reading “Beringea, Women’s Angel Fund, and Resonant Venture Partners: An Investor Roundup”
NanoInk Secures $65,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=162e572e-6207-46a8-87f4-860b324da8a4&Preview=1 Date 10/11/2010 Company Name NanoInk Mailing Address 8025 Lamon Ave. Skokio, IL 60077 Company Description NanoInk, Inc. is an emerging growth technology company specializing in nanometer-scale manufacturing and application development for the life science and semiconductor industries. With DPN®, a patented and proprietary nanofabrication technology that allows for unmatched flexibility and … Continue reading “NanoInk Secures $65,000,000 New Financing Round”
BioSystem Development Garners $978,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b01f55a9-2b93-40d0-9ed5-a0e8ff9440f0&Preview=1 Date 10/11/2010 Company Name BioSystem Development Mailing Address 802 Deming Way Madison, WI 53717 Company Description BioSystem Development creates, manufactures, and markets system products for unmet needs in the fields of biotechnology and life science research. Website http://www.biosystemdevelopment.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $978,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The … Continue reading “BioSystem Development Garners $978,000 New Round”
Research Universities and Big Pharma’s Wicked Problem
A few years ago BP awarded a consortium of universities led by Berkeley the largest grant in University of California history: $500 million over 10 years to develop biofuels. Despite BP’s well-publicized travails, their commitment to the Energy Biosciences Institute remains firmly in place. BP is a huge company with a wealth of resources at … Continue reading “Research Universities and Big Pharma’s Wicked Problem”
Just When I Was Working Up Some Sympathy for Mark Zuckerberg—Facebook Blows It Again
I was going to write an impassioned column this week attacking David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin for the hatchet job they performed on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. I can’t remember the last time a movie made me so angry; no entrepreneur who’s created such a beloved and successful service, even if … Continue reading “Just When I Was Working Up Some Sympathy for Mark Zuckerberg—Facebook Blows It Again”
TOPGUN: Good Training for Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship
Top Gun the movie, like many movies loosely based on true stories or real organizations, certainly left us all entertained, and hopefully even a little motivated. The scenes of beach volleyball, testosterone-charged competition, and Maverick’s famous rendition of the Righteous Brothers’ classic were all unforgettable. But Hollywood never lets the truth get in the way … Continue reading “TOPGUN: Good Training for Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship”
Aneesh Chopra, Obama’s Chief Technology Officer, Talks About Health IT Geek Squads, Entrepreneurship Prizes, and “Data as a Policy Lever”
“In the Obama Administration, entrepreneurs are welcome.” So said Aneesh Chopra, chief technology officer of the United States, in a keynote speech yesterday at “DC to VC,” a summit on healthcare IT investing organized by Morgenthaler Ventures partner Rebecca Lynn in San Francisco and co-sponsored by Silicon Valley Bank and Venrock. Speaking to a group … Continue reading “Aneesh Chopra, Obama’s Chief Technology Officer, Talks About Health IT Geek Squads, Entrepreneurship Prizes, and “Data as a Policy Lever””
Buycentives’ Targeted Marketing Software Is Out to Break the One-Size-Fits All Tradition for Automobile Incentives
When it comes to the incentive deals offered by auto companies to potential car buyers, little has changed, despite advances in technology. Customers may be starting their auto purchases online, but automakers are still trying to reel them in with deals that are marketed more like the coupons found in a newspaper or Sunday flyer, … Continue reading “Buycentives’ Targeted Marketing Software Is Out to Break the One-Size-Fits All Tradition for Automobile Incentives”
Mimecast Expands in Boston Area, Taps E-mail Pioneer in Michigan to Drive Growth
Nathaniel Borenstein is a man you either love or hate. Or both. There’s nothing in between. If you have more than 24,000 unread e-mails in your inbox, like I do, you curse the day he was born, even if you enjoy being able to communicate with friends and business contacts in real-time, for free. Borenstein … Continue reading “Mimecast Expands in Boston Area, Taps E-mail Pioneer in Michigan to Drive Growth”
Vega Therapeutics, With Roots in Michigan and San Diego, Aims High in Fight Against Diabetes
Classic elements of a big biotech story are brewing in a little startup in South San Francisco called Vega Therapeutics. There’s leading-edge science from big names at the University of Michigan and UC San Diego. A proven management team from the Bay Area. If everything comes together, there is potential to shake up the standard … Continue reading “Vega Therapeutics, With Roots in Michigan and San Diego, Aims High in Fight Against Diabetes”
The Grand Challenge of Innovation
Recently, the X Prize Foundation awarded a total of $10 million to three companies at the forefront of building the world’s most efficient cars. It was the culmination of a competition that began in 2008 with 111 teams and was pared down to nine finalists. The competition was rigorous: it demanded teams to engineer and … Continue reading “The Grand Challenge of Innovation”
Tap Me Lands $325,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fcde0210-4f06-459d-a59a-6eb085eeea17&Preview=1 Date 10/4/2010 Company Name Tap Me Mailing Address 1243 W. Rosemont Ave. Chicago, IL 60660 Company Description The company connects games to brands and brands to gamers with the next generation of in-game advertising. Website http://www.tap.me Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $325,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not … Continue reading “Tap Me Lands $325,000 New Round”
Introducing Your High-Tech Startup: An Irreverent Guide
You shape the view that others hold of your company via either one-to-one interactions or one-to-many interactions. Of course, the one-to-one interactions in business meetings and social settings are the most potent, because you have both quantity and quality of attention. But this doesn’t scale well. Another reason that personal one-to-one contact is so effective … Continue reading “Introducing Your High-Tech Startup: An Irreverent Guide”
Boston vs. NYC vs. Silicon Valley? Forget It—The Real City of Innovation Is Everywhere
In William Gibson’s 1984 cyberpunk masterpiece Neuromancer, the hero Case lives in a near-future place called BAMA—the Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis, aka the Sprawl, a giant city that has spread Coruscant-like across the whole eastern seaboard. (If it had extended to Orlando, maybe Gibson could have called it OBAMA.) But while this part of Gibson’s sci-fi … Continue reading “Boston vs. NYC vs. Silicon Valley? Forget It—The Real City of Innovation Is Everywhere”
TechSmith Takes Long Road to the Top in Screen Capture and Recording Software
“Why not have a high-tech company in Michigan?” This is the question Bill Hamilton asks of those incredulous of the possibilities of success of a software company based in Okemos, MI. Hamilton, an Ann Arbor native, started TechSmith in 1988, and the company, best known for its screen-capture software, has weathered the challenges of a … Continue reading “TechSmith Takes Long Road to the Top in Screen Capture and Recording Software”
WiTricity, Delphi Partner on Developing Wireless Charging Station for Electric Vehicles
WiTricity, the Watertown, MA-based developer of technology for the wireless delivery of electricity, has signed an agreement with Delphi Automotive of Troy, MI, to work on wireless charging products for hybrid and electric vehicles, Delphi announced today. WiTricity will supply its wireless electricity technology and components to Delphi, a maker of electronics technologies for vehicles. … Continue reading “WiTricity, Delphi Partner on Developing Wireless Charging Station for Electric Vehicles”
What’s Next for Car Connectivity? Notes From the Future of GM’s OnStar
The only time I’ve visited General Motors’ OnStar operation, its bustling command center was out in Troy, MI, a long way from its current site at GM headquarters in downtown Detroit’s Renaissance Center. That was nine years and about four million subscribers ago (OnStar now has 5.7 million subscribers, compared to 1.7 million in 2001 … Continue reading “What’s Next for Car Connectivity? Notes From the Future of GM’s OnStar”
Second to Market isn’t Always Second Best
About a year ago, I had the opportunity to hear Paul English, the CTO and Co-Founder of Kayak.com, speak. In his chat, Paul focused a great deal on ruthless efficiency and excellent customer experience. He wowed the crowd with stories of answering his own customer service calls, getting feedback on Kayak’s new iPhone application from … Continue reading “Second to Market isn’t Always Second Best”
Baron Named CAR Chairman
The Center for Automotive Research, a nonprofit based in Ann Arbor, reports that its board of directors has tapped its president and CEO, Jay Baron, to replace David Cole as its chairman. Cole, a founding member of the research nonprofit and an Xconomist, has become the group’s chairman emeritus. The nonprofit, known as CAR, says … Continue reading “Baron Named CAR Chairman”
ProNAi Therapeutics Advances Gene-Silencing Cancer Drug, Marina Biotech Provides Delivery Package
A quiet competitor in the gene-silencing game has surfaced with good news. Kalamazoo, MI-based ProNAi Therapeutics says that it’s started to treat cancer patients with its first experimental DNA interference drug, which is essentially made to specifically silence disease at the fundamental level of DNA. And the firm is relying on molecules from Bothell, WA-based … Continue reading “ProNAi Therapeutics Advances Gene-Silencing Cancer Drug, Marina Biotech Provides Delivery Package”
How the Wrong Decision in Schwarzenegger v. EMA Could Cripple Video Game Innovation
In 2005 the Terminator signed a bill to outlaw the sale of “violent” video games to anyone under 18 years of age in California. Granted, he was wearing his off-set persona as the Governor of California, but this irony flows through a case the U.S. Supreme Court is about to hear entitled Schwarzenegger v. EMA. … Continue reading “How the Wrong Decision in Schwarzenegger v. EMA Could Cripple Video Game Innovation”
University of Michigan Social Venture Fund Comes Out of Stealth, Aims to Invest in Companies at the Nexus of Public and Private
“Social shouldn’t be viewed as soft,” says University of Michigan finance professor Gautam Kaul. “Unfortunately, soft and social tend to go together in people’s perceptions.” But Social Venture Fund, a new investing vehicle out of the University of Michigan that came out of stealth mode just last week, is taking a hard look at social … Continue reading “University of Michigan Social Venture Fund Comes Out of Stealth, Aims to Invest in Companies at the Nexus of Public and Private”
Anybots, Y Combinator’s Housemate, Brings Remote-Controlled Robots to the White-Collar World
[Video included, please scroll down] Trevor Blackwell used to think that telepresence robots were all about manipulation: being able to grasp and move things from afar. So he and his colleagues at Mountain View, CA-based Anybots spent years building robots with beautifully articulated hands that users could operate over a standard Internet connection. The company’s … Continue reading “Anybots, Y Combinator’s Housemate, Brings Remote-Controlled Robots to the White-Collar World”
U-M Student Group, MPowered, Gears Up for 1,000 Pitches, Looks to Help Build Startup Ecosystem
A culture of entrepreneurial innovation might not be something one would expect to find in a rust belt state like Michigan, but one student group at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is trying to change that. MPowered Entrepreneurship aims to cultivate and support student entrepreneurs in hopes that they turn their ideas into … Continue reading “U-M Student Group, MPowered, Gears Up for 1,000 Pitches, Looks to Help Build Startup Ecosystem”
TEDxDetroit
Part of a of independently organized events seeking to bring the spirit of California’s Technology, Entertainment, and Design conferences to cities across the nation. From the event site: “The area’s leading creators, catalysts, entrepreneurs, artists, technologists, designers, scientists, thinkers and doers will gather on Wednesday, September 29th to share what they are most passionate about—positive … Continue reading “TEDxDetroit”
Forget the Facebook Movie; Here’s the TechStars Casting Call
All this talk about “The Social Network,” and Mark Zuckerberg this and that, got me thinking. What if they made a movie about a technology company that’s doing something really innovative now? A modest company that’s expanding nationally and helping to set the agenda and culture for a new generation of techie entrepreneurs…One with deep … Continue reading “Forget the Facebook Movie; Here’s the TechStars Casting Call”
Focus on Discovery, Not Decision-Making, Is Key To Success
We’ve experienced a slew of “system” failures in the last years—corporate, regulatory, financial and technological—with disastrous results. Toyota suffered a huge hit to its sales and corporate prestige. The damage to the Gulf of Mexico is still being tabulated. And we’re even now trying to fully restart the economy after it was crippled by the … Continue reading “Focus on Discovery, Not Decision-Making, Is Key To Success”
Accio Energy, With New CEO, Uses Physics to Harvest Wind Energy Without Turbines
It’s hard to hear the term “wind power” without picturing the giant, bladed turbines that are currently used to generate this kind of renewable energy. Ann Arbor, MI-based Accio Energy is trying to shake this up. The company is using fundamental physics to produce wind power without turbines—a transformation that could make wind energy more … Continue reading “Accio Energy, With New CEO, Uses Physics to Harvest Wind Energy Without Turbines”
Michigan Venture Funds: A List of Recent Closings and Firms Raising Money Now
It’s not exactly a secret that this isn’t the greatest time for venture capital. Returns over the past decade have gone negative after the heady dotcom bubble years, and with the recession lingering many funds have either closed or found themselves significantly smaller as it became harder and harder to attract capital. These national trends … Continue reading “Michigan Venture Funds: A List of Recent Closings and Firms Raising Money Now”