Ninja Metrics Receives $2,700,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ff9cd23f-9a32-4e7d-a606-a67fcbbc4e35 Date 11/12/2013 Company Name Ninja Metrics Mailing Address 2828 University Ave SE Minneapolis, MN 55414 Company Description While Ninja Metrics is new, the team behind it is not. Since 2007, our team has run the world’s leading research project in the multi-disciplinary area of computational social science, the VWE Observatory, where … Continue reading “Ninja Metrics Receives $2,700,000 Series A Financing”

GiveNext Receives $25,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3ac83f86-346f-4126-a82e-7d9873eaa455 Date 11/12/2013 Company Name GiveNext Mailing Address 3558 Lee Rd Shaker Heights, OH 44120 Company Description GiveNext is the easiest and most efficient way for donors and nonprofits to manage charitable contributions together. Nonprofit organizations can direct fewer resources into fundraising and more into fulfilling their mission. Donors can manage all … Continue reading “GiveNext Receives $25,000 Seed Financing Round”

Handelabra Games Garners $25,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ecf76226-4832-4914-b741-9db4e9d7dfff Date 11/12/2013 Company Name Handelabra Games Mailing Address 2478 Fenwick University Heights, OH 44118 Company Description Handelabra Studio was formed in 2009 to explore the brand new world of mobile software. You may be familiar with our apps like RE.minder, Couplett or Sentinels Sidekick. But after we made our first real … Continue reading “Handelabra Games Garners $25,000 Seed Funding Round”

CompassMD Garners $25,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7867f3ee-611c-47ae-aabc-d5cf8547975d Date 11/12/2013 Company Name CompassMD Mailing Address 26400 Amhearst Circle Beachwood, OH 44122 Company Description Compass MD has developed a platform that focuses on actively matching individuals to the right doctors and resources based on their individual needs and preferences. Our goal is to improve the overall patient experience, satisfaction ratings … Continue reading “CompassMD Garners $25,000 Seed Funding Round”

How Alkermes Survived a Brush With Death

Most every biotech company with some mileage has had at least one near-death experience. Maybe the key experiment failed, or a dangerous side effect emerged late in the game. Maybe a rich competitor decided to squash the little guy with a frivolous intellectual property lawsuit. Maybe a key partner bailed for whatever reason. Maybe the … Continue reading “How Alkermes Survived a Brush With Death”

backstitch Secures $100,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f75e09fa-696a-43cc-a6f5-6be3e2dda5e8 Date 11/11/2013 Company Name backstitch Mailing Address 1555 Broadway Street Detroit, MI 48226 Company Description Backstitch combines social media, news, shopping and other information into a single destination, and can apply filters by keywords, prices, etc. Website http://www.backstit.ch Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $100,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes … Continue reading “backstitch Secures $100,000 New Financing”

MVCA Celebrates Year’s Top Deals, Names New Board Chair

The Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA) held its annual awards dinner this week to honor the year’s most important deals and VCs. During the dinner, the MVCA also named Jim Adox of Venture Investors as its new board chair. Carrie Jones, executive director of the MVCA, says that 2013 was a good year for Michigan’s … Continue reading “MVCA Celebrates Year’s Top Deals, Names New Board Chair”

Apple’s Weakness: Customer Loyalty Has Its Limits

If you’re ever forced to read a public company’s annual report, turn first to the “risk factors” section, which is always the most entertaining. This is where companies are required to disclose all of the things that could go terribly wrong with their businesses. It’s a Wall Street version of Edward Gorey’s Gashlycrumb Tinies (“A … Continue reading “Apple’s Weakness: Customer Loyalty Has Its Limits”

Phi Optics Garners $250,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d55a395b-e3bb-4b0c-bc2e-0b935998ec3a Date 11/8/2013 Company Name Phi Optics Mailing Address 60 Hazelwood Drive Champaign, IL 61820 Company Description Phi Optics Inc was founded in 2009 to respond to market’s request for QPI enabled devices. Our company is developing the next generation of optical imaging systems through its Quantitative Phase Imaging Platform. Phi Optics … Continue reading “Phi Optics Garners $250,000 Seed Funding Round”

Surviving Exponential Growth: Lessons from Network Solutions

At the beginning of 1995, there were only about 71,000 domain names in the entire world, and a grand total of about 16 million Internet users. This was the year that Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), then based in San Diego, acquired Network Solutions—a small technology company in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. … Continue reading “Surviving Exponential Growth: Lessons from Network Solutions”

MyGoToNumber: Exceptional CEO Makes App For Everyday People

MyGoToNumber co-founder and CEO Paul A. Turner III was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to American parents, but he grew up in Detroit—and, as he recalls, most of its suburbs. “I’ve lived just about everywhere in Oakland County,” he says. “I never went to the same school district for more than two years.” He was … Continue reading “MyGoToNumber: Exceptional CEO Makes App For Everyday People”

Ablative Solutions Lands $2,995,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=650b5228-ddf1-4436-96fc-7b545e141415 Date 11/7/2013 Company Name Ablative Solutions Mailing Address 350 East Michigan Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Company Description Ablative Solutions’ technology involves endovascular catheters to provide an efficacious, durable, cost-effective and safe alternative to surgical renal denervation for the treatment of hypertension and other diseases caused by an overactive sympathetic nervous system. … Continue reading “Ablative Solutions Lands $2,995,000 New Financing”

Channel IQ Secures $12,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2b4b7f1f-c672-4910-b5cb-fc4a427ff9ed Date 11/7/2013 Company Name Channel IQ Mailing Address 350 W Ontario Chicago, IL 60654 Company Description Channel IQ is the leading provider of online retail intelligence solutions to manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Channel IQ provides real-time, online promotion and pricing information, empowering customers to profitably handle channel issues and competitive situations. … Continue reading “Channel IQ Secures $12,000,000 New Funding Round”

While Healthcare.gov Scrambles, Private Exchanges Are Off to the Races

All eyes are on the hullaballoo created by the challenges at Healthcare.gov and several of the states’ public insurance exchanges. Yet all the while, like in a magic show, attention has been diverted from the real action going on elsewhere. Quietly and in a relatively drama-free way, the private health insurance exchanges are busily taking … Continue reading “While Healthcare.gov Scrambles, Private Exchanges Are Off to the Races”

Uber Launches Lower-Priced UberX Service in Detroit

Uber, the on-demand, app-based car service that established operations in Detroit last March, has now launched its lower-priced offering, UberX, in the Motor City. UberX is based on more of a ride-share model than Uber’s black car service, which aims to make drivers feel as if they have their own personal chauffeur. Riders summon UberX … Continue reading “Uber Launches Lower-Priced UberX Service in Detroit”

Lytx Name Change Reflects New Direction for San Diego’s DriveCam

San Diego-based DriveCam, which is 15 years old and has more than 240 employees, is heading in a new direction. The company says it is changing its name to Lytx—as in analytics—in anticipation of a new business initiative to broaden and diversify its core business, which uses dashboard video cameras and telematics technologies to analyze … Continue reading “Lytx Name Change Reflects New Direction for San Diego’s DriveCam”

Which Regions Are Churning Out the Most Biotech IPOs?

If you’ve got ambitions to start and build a biotech company that may someday go public, where is the best place to make it happen? Which regional clusters provide the most fertile places where people, scientific ideas, technology, and money come together to build NASDAQ-worthy biotech companies? This is just one more way of looking … Continue reading “Which Regions Are Churning Out the Most Biotech IPOs?”

Atterocor Begins Phase 1 Trial for Adrenal Cancer Drug

The Ann Arbor, MI-based biotech startup Atterocor announced last week that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of ATR-101, a novel drug candidate to treat adrenal cancer. In pre-clinical studies, ATR-101 has shown selective effects on adrenal cortex cells, says Atterocor co-founder and CEO Julia Owens. ATR-101 has also received orphan drug designation … Continue reading “Atterocor Begins Phase 1 Trial for Adrenal Cancer Drug”

6 Secrets to Slaying the E-Mail Monster

People have been complaining about the onslaught of e-mail almost since the day it was invented. We’ve all heard the statistics: Over 100 billion business e-mails are sent every day, with the average user sending and receiving about 100 messages per day. Reading and answering e-mail takes up 28 percent of the average worker’s day—about … Continue reading “6 Secrets to Slaying the E-Mail Monster”

Spartz Obtains $8,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9d27823b-7d61-4e82-bcd8-4d737a653102 Date 11/1/2013 Company Name Spartz Mailing Address 358 W Ontario Chicago, IL 60654 Company Description Spartz Inc., has about a dozen websites, including OMG Facts, MuggleNet and SmartphOWNED, which have monthly traffic of about 15 million. The company has been successful in creating viral growth. Website http://www.spartzinc.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Spartz Obtains $8,000,000 New Financing Round”

Achates Power Signs Joint Development Deal with Fairbanks Morse

San Diego’s Achates Power, which has been advancing a cleaner, more fuel-efficient, and easier-to-manufacture design for opposed piston engines, says it has signed a joint development and licensing agreement with Fairbanks Morse Engine, the leading U.S. maker of opposed-piston engines. Fairbanks Morse, based in bucolic Beloit, WI, and operated by EnPro Industries (NYSE: [[ticker:NPO]]) makes … Continue reading “Achates Power Signs Joint Development Deal with Fairbanks Morse”

Red (and Green) Flags To Look for With Biotech’s Buyside Investors

As Warren Buffett once pointed out, companies get the investors they deserve. Observations by the oracle-from-Omaha are hard to dispute, but how does that translate into practice if you’re a biotech company going through the IPO process and trying to read the signs in a whole new landscape of investors known as “the buyside”? Many … Continue reading “Red (and Green) Flags To Look for With Biotech’s Buyside Investors”

Accelerate Michigan Competition Unveils 2013 Finalists

More than 50 semi-finalists competing in the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, the annual business-plan competition targeting mid-to-late-stage startups located across the state, have been announced. At stake is more than $1 million in cash prizes, plus in-kind awards of services, staffing, and software. More than that, Accelerate Michigan winners are usually considered among Michigan’s most … Continue reading “Accelerate Michigan Competition Unveils 2013 Finalists”

CVRx Lands $12,000,000 Series F Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=364a0ea5-5942-45ab-b2be-02b2d3065bcb Date 10/31/2013 Company Name CVRx Mailing Address 9201 West Broadway Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55445 Company Description The company has developed proprietary technology for the treatment of high blood pressure, also referred to as hypertension, that cannot be controlled with medications (refractory or resistant hypertension). Website http://www.cvrx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “CVRx Lands $12,000,000 Series F Funding”

Four Red Flags for Digital Health Investors

It’s been a banner year for startups raising money to start digital and mobile health businesses—enough to spark a recent Time magazine article called “The Obamacare Start-Up Boom.” Here in San Francisco, it seems the number of job applicants my own digital heatlh company receives, as well as the number of attendees at health technology … Continue reading “Four Red Flags for Digital Health Investors”

Ablative Solutions Secures $2,295,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7e88d6a8-f774-470b-93dc-56ba1ecee18e Date 10/30/2013 Company Name Ablative Solutions Mailing Address 350 East Michigan Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Company Description Ablative Solutions’ technology involves endovascular catheters to provide an efficacious, durable, cost-effective and safe alternative to surgical renal denervation for the treatment of hypertension and other diseases caused by an overactive sympathetic nervous system. … Continue reading “Ablative Solutions Secures $2,295,000 New Financing Round”

U-M Logs Record Number of Inventions, Names Med School Innovation Chief

About a year ago, the University of Michigan made a decision to focus on “encouraging and motivating” faculty to submit high-value ideas about new technology or inventions that could one day lead to commercialization, according Ken Nisbet, who directs the university’s Office of Tech Transfer (OTT). The university felt it had a lot of untapped … Continue reading “U-M Logs Record Number of Inventions, Names Med School Innovation Chief”

Securus Medical Group Secures $6,500,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6e6a1cc2-b780-4b3b-afad-461e968f1fdd Date 10/29/2013 Company Name Securus Medical Group Mailing Address 15 Shoreby Drive Cleveland, OH 44108 Company Description Securus Medical Group, a Cleveland, OH-based company that develops a product that provides real-time temperature mapping within a hollow body cavity. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,500,000 Transaction Round Series B … Continue reading “Securus Medical Group Secures $6,500,000 Series B Funding”

Report: Michigan Could Be Hot Spot for Global Tech Talent

In Michigan, we hear a lot of discussion about the challenge of keeping talented, young workers in the state after they graduate from college. According to a new report out last week from the Global Talent Retention Initiative of Michigan (GTRI), one area where Michigan might have a leg up on other places is international … Continue reading “Report: Michigan Could Be Hot Spot for Global Tech Talent”

The Biggest Bargains Pharma Scooped Up in the Down Years

Most little biotech companies, until this year’s IPO boom, couldn’t seriously think about raising money from public investors. Most couldn’t raise big venture dollars from an ever-shrinking pool of VCs. The pool of potential partners and buyers in Big Pharma was shrinking, too, because mega-mergers reduced the number of potential bidders. With cash running low … Continue reading “The Biggest Bargains Pharma Scooped Up in the Down Years”

Accio Energy Garners $710,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f5f4dc40-2519-4720-9a82-824f3ad8e317 Date 10/28/2013 Company Name Accio Energy Mailing Address 704 Airport Boulevard Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Company Description A wind technology that requires no moving parts, will easily scale from small communities up to the largest offshore wind farm, and will offer all of these benefits at utility competitive costs. Accio Energy’s … Continue reading “Accio Energy Garners $710,000 New Financing”

Roundup: Swift Biosciences Raises $7M Round, Free Wi-fi Now in Downtown Detroit

Here’s a look at news from around Southeast Michigan’s innovation community: —Ann Arbor-based Swift Biosciences announced this week that it has raised a $7 million Series B round. Fletcher Spaght Ventures led the round, and the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund, the Mercury Fund, the Michigan Accelerator Fund, and individual investors participated in the round. Swift … Continue reading “Roundup: Swift Biosciences Raises $7M Round, Free Wi-fi Now in Downtown Detroit”

BuzzFeed, and 4 More Bad Startup Ideas that Look Like Good Ideas

Y Combinator staged its annual Startup School event last Saturday, attracting more than 1,700 young startup founders and would-be founders. Andreessen Horowitz partner (and Xconomist) Chris Dixon, the founder of Web startups SiteAdvisor (sold to McAfee) and Hunch (sold to eBay), gave one of the most interesting talks, under the title “Good Ideas That Look Like Bad … Continue reading “BuzzFeed, and 4 More Bad Startup Ideas that Look Like Good Ideas”

BidPal Garners $2,500,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=40f909b5-2346-4a1e-baa3-117b8c8c00c4 Date 10/25/2013 Company Name BidPal Mailing Address 8425 Woodfield Crossing Indianapolis, IL 46240 Company Description BidPal Network has developed an innovative solution that wirelessly automates and accelerates the auction process. BidPal’s system enables guests to place bids on silent auction items at any time and from anywhere during the event. Using … Continue reading “BidPal Garners $2,500,000 New Financing”

WellFount Receives $1,505,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9d79ffee-3a51-47ec-82a4-2eb8ebd063dd Date 10/25/2013 Company Name WellFount Mailing Address 5751 W 73rd St Indianapolis, IN 46278 Company Description The InSite Remote Dispensing System is the first medication management system designed to meet the unique challenges of long-term care facilities like yours. It enables timely, pharmacist-approved, on-demand medication dispensing right at your facility. Website … Continue reading “WellFount Receives $1,505,000 New Funding Round”

NeoChord Receives $3,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=54a6d2d8-f973-459b-a1f2-6900d1e90a51 Date 10/25/2013 Company Name NeoChord Mailing Address 7700 Equitable Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Company Description NeoChord is a venture backed medical device company, is investigating minimally invasive technology intended to transform the treatment of degenerative mitral regurgitation. Website http://www.neochord.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $3,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “NeoChord Receives $3,000,000 New Financing Round”

Industrial Origami Receives $1,256,500 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a70b6929-b6ba-4a77-9ed9-6c79a523193c Date 10/25/2013 Company Name Industrial Origami Mailing Address 6755 Engle Road Middleburg Heights, OH 44130 Company Description The Industrial Origami, Inc. (IOI) technology simplifies design and assembly of products generating savings and innovation not possible using traditional manufacturing methods. Because the IOI technology is deployed using existing CAD design software and … Continue reading “Industrial Origami Receives $1,256,500 New Funding Round”

Iris Mobile Receives $3,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=86a25f2d-cfdb-40f9-a3be-7a74123777fa Date 10/25/2013 Company Name Iris Mobile Mailing Address 70 East Lake Street Chicago, IL 60601 Company Description At Iris Mobile we are here to help you create the most effective Mobile campaigns for your customers. Our team leaders have over 20 years of experience working in the mobile space and built … Continue reading “Iris Mobile Receives $3,000,000 Series A Round”

U-M Unveils Automated Vehicle Test Site, Collaborative Battery Lab

Yesterday, the University of Michigan announced it will construct an automated vehicle test environment on 30 acres at its North Campus Research Complex. The $6.5 million test environment, which is expected to be completed by fall of 2014, will include approximately three miles of roads with intersections, traffic signs and signals; sidewalks; benches; simulated buildings; … Continue reading “U-M Unveils Automated Vehicle Test Site, Collaborative Battery Lab”

IntelliWheels Obtains $45,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=24300ba3-137a-4841-8362-9114d00c5650 Date 10/24/2013 Company Name IntelliWheels Mailing Address 60 Hazel Wood Drive Champaign, IL 61820 Company Description IntelliWheels, Inc., is a startup company out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that develops technology to improve mobility options for wheelchair users. It was founded by Scott Daigle, a mechanical engineer, and Marissa … Continue reading “IntelliWheels Obtains $45,000 New Funding Round”

Pharma Showing Interest in Open Systems for Drug Discovery

[Editor’s note: this post first appeared on the FasterCures blog.] Bringing the ideas of “open source” into the pharmaceutical process is far from simple. It requires a careful understanding both of the realities of open source as a software development process well as the realities of therapy research, development, and regulatory approval. The open source … Continue reading “Pharma Showing Interest in Open Systems for Drug Discovery”

BoostUp Secures $1,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6d94e152-e1d6-42d8-88ea-02cf3be5a871 Date 10/23/2013 Company Name BoostUp Mailing Address 1555 Broadway St Detroit, MI 48226 Company Description Our Mission is to create a more organized, social, and rewarding way for consumers to save up and pay for life’s big purchases. BoostUp is a savings platform that enables consumers to save up and pay … Continue reading “BoostUp Secures $1,000,000 New Financing”

Once Innovations Receives $5,300,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1897f3ab-015d-4237-9e88-6bd98af82d0b Date 10/23/2013 Company Name Once Innovations Mailing Address 5455 Hwy 169N Plymouth, MN 55442 Company Description ONCE is in the LED lighting business. It is the sole object of our focus. We design, manufacture and sell AgriShift® LED Poultry Lights and make our technologies, general illumination lamp and reusable packaging designs … Continue reading “Once Innovations Receives $5,300,000 Series A Funding”

Oracle Acquires BigMachines for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f64923ee-7765-4666-84a1-4fbc56429f2a Date 10/23/2013 Company Name BigMachines Mailing Address 570 Lake Cook Road Deerfield, IL 60015 Company Description BigMachines, the global leader in Configure, Price, Quote; enables businesses to sell more, faster with a suite of on-demand products. Whether your company is big or small, sells silicon chips or potato chips, has sales … Continue reading “Oracle Acquires BigMachines for Undisclosed Sum”

Motozuma Snags $1 Million Investment, Relaunches as BoostUp

In August, we reported that Motozuma—an Illinois-based startup that allows users to set up free online savings accounts where they can put money towards a new car and invite friends and family to help contribute—had quietly established a Detroit office. It turns out Detroit is the company’s new headquarters as it relaunches today as BoostUp … Continue reading “Motozuma Snags $1 Million Investment, Relaunches as BoostUp”

SMS Assist Receives $45,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d349d212-19c9-46e1-be88-4d6c3b00a817 Date 10/22/2013 Company Name SMS Assist Mailing Address 875 North Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60611 Company Description SMS Assist, LLC, a national facilities maintenance company, focuses on managing and providing periodic services, such as floor cleaning, snow removal, landscaping, HVAC maintenance and other interior and exterior services. Website http://www.sms-assist.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “SMS Assist Receives $45,000,000 New Financing”

Lycera Obtains $5,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=35422332-4b50-4b18-8c73-c731e9b5af56 Date 10/22/2013 Company Name Lycera Mailing Address 2800 Plymouth Rd Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Company Description Lycera is an early-stage pharmaceutical company developing first-in-class drugs to treat immune disorders. Lycera’s technology platforms include proprietary small molecules that modulate a target, which is central to cellular bioenergetics along with molecules that target … Continue reading “Lycera Obtains $5,000,000 New Funding Round”