Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=98bbf0f6-496e-4fb4-90d9-635d2a7f9505&Preview=1 Date 5/31/2013 Company Name Optyn Mailing Address 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza 12th Floor Chicago, IL 60654 Company Description Optyn is a new and easy way to opt into any business anytime and anywhere without ever compromising your information. Stay tuned and sign up for our private beta. Website http://www.optyn.com Transaction … Continue reading “Optyn Secures $20,000 Seed Round”
Category: Detroit
Nuance Bolsters Automotive Offering with $80M Tweddle Acquisition
Nuance Communications, the voice recognition technology company, is making its second major Seattle-area acquisition, spending $80 million in cash for Tweddle Connect, an in-car content delivery system developed by a unit of Detroit-based Tweddle Group. Burlington, MA-based Nuance—whose Dragon Drive software already powers most voice control systems in 20 million new cars a year—would bolster … Continue reading “Nuance Bolsters Automotive Offering with $80M Tweddle Acquisition”
Report: MI Graduates Starting Companies at Double the National Average
The University Research Corridor (URC), a partnership launched in 2006 by Michigan’s three major research universities, released a report today at the Mackinac Policy Conference detailing a sharp increase in entrepreneurial activity among its graduates. According to the report, alumni from the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University are starting their own companies … Continue reading “Report: MI Graduates Starting Companies at Double the National Average”
Top 20 Under-the-Radar Trends in Innovation
What’s the most important trend in innovation that nobody is talking about? We at Xconomy reached out across our national network of innovation leaders (the Xconomists) to get some answers to this question, and to spur some intercity discussion. What we got back was astounding for its diversity and depth. And while it’s no longer … Continue reading “Top 20 Under-the-Radar Trends in Innovation”
At a Startup, Does Being the Only Woman in the Room Matter?
It’s hardly a secret that the male-dominated world of high-growth entrepreneurship doesn’t boast a treasure trove of women. Despite the fact that female-led start-ups have a track record of driving success, businesses founded by women account for less than 9 percent of venture funding. Considering that 50 percent of the people walking the earth are … Continue reading “At a Startup, Does Being the Only Woman in the Room Matter?”
Covaron Advanced Materials Secures Seed-Round Funding
The Ann Arbor, MI-based startup Covaron Advanced Materials, formerly known as Kymeira Advanced Materials, has secured $300,000 in seed funding from four investors: Houston’s Mercury Fund; Two Seven Ventures in Aspen, CO; Huron River Ventures in Ann Arbor; and the Detroit-based First Step Fund. Dave Hatfield, Covaron’s co-founder and CEO, says the company has created a … Continue reading “Covaron Advanced Materials Secures Seed-Round Funding”
Assigning Credit and Blame to Biopharma R&D Chiefs
There’s been an awful lot of turnover lately among Big Biopharma R&D chiefs, with departures from Merck, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Roche, and AbbVie. Their average tenure in this position was less than 7 years; the range was from less than 2 to 12. That’s similar to the average CEO tenure, which is only 8.4 … Continue reading “Assigning Credit and Blame to Biopharma R&D Chiefs”
Campus Commandos’ Adam Grant on Marketing to College Students
If you’re a certified geezer like I am (let’s say Generation X and older), then you have likely run into a brick wall when trying, at some point, to communicate with a Millennial. My big communication breakdown moment happened last spring, when my second cousin Tyler turned 16. He had exactly zero interest in rushing … Continue reading “Campus Commandos’ Adam Grant on Marketing to College Students”
NVCA: Venture Capital Finally Returned More Than It Took in 2012
It’s no secret that venture capital has struggled since the dot-com implosion. The latest dispatch from the industry’s U.S. trade group, however, says there might be some promising signs of better performance. In a new report wrapping up the 2012 performance for VCs, the National Venture Capital Association says the broad industry finally returned to the … Continue reading “NVCA: Venture Capital Finally Returned More Than It Took in 2012”
BioMixer
MichBio hosts this networking event for people interested in the biotechnology industry. Click here for registration and details.
Applying “Innovation Arbitrage” to Develop Novel Medicines in China
[Editor’s Note: This post was co-authored by Jessica Yingling of Little Dog Communications.] Loosely defined, arbitrage is striking a combination of matching deals that capitalize upon an imbalance. Profit is gained from the difference between the market prices. With the Chinese government focusing on innovation through forward-looking national agendas for economic development, the opportunity to … Continue reading “Applying “Innovation Arbitrage” to Develop Novel Medicines in China”
International Caregiver Network, JEMS Tech Sign Mobile Health Deal
JEMS Technology, the Orion, MI-based mobile health company, announced late last month that it has signed a deal with the Southfield, MI-based International Caregiver Network (ICN) to offer JEMS’ remote monitoring platform to ICN’s network of home health and hospice care providers. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. JEM offers plug-and-play, real-time video … Continue reading “International Caregiver Network, JEMS Tech Sign Mobile Health Deal”
Do You Have A Story to Tell? Here Are the Digital Tools You’ll Need
Back in January I got an invitation out of the blue to give a 1-hour talk at the Palo Alto Research Center—the Xerox-owned lab better known as PARC. The invitation was completely open-ended. The full extent of PARC’s guidance was “we think you would have a lot of interesting things to share.” If you’re a … Continue reading “Do You Have A Story to Tell? Here Are the Digital Tools You’ll Need”
Fandium Secures $1,250,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=28e89751-1ce5-41b1-8a1d-445e7092fd37&Preview=1 Date 5/24/2013 Company Name Fandium Mailing Address 444 N. Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60611 Company Description The Fandium mobile and Facebook app is the all-inclusive social destination for sports fans to get the real story from inside and around the stadium with aggregated, fan-generated content to create the ultimate game-day experience, … Continue reading “Fandium Secures $1,250,000 Seed Round”
Girl Develop It’s Detroit Chapter Teaches Women to Code
It’s no secret that the tech world—in Detroit just as much as Silicon Valley or anywhere else, really—is a man’s world. Go to any local tech event to see the demographics play out. Even in a budding tech community like Detroit’s, which can be open and welcoming in its newness, female tech founders and CEOs … Continue reading “Girl Develop It’s Detroit Chapter Teaches Women to Code”
Mayer’s Challenge: Merging the Cultures of Yahoo and Tumblr
Yahoo + Tumblr is a good match because Tumblr has the huge and vibrant social network, but no revenues, while Yahoo lacks social, but knows how to earn money on ads. Yahoo + Tumblr are a bad match, because Yahoo is a company with 14,000 employees in a corporate organizational culture needing change, while Tumblr … Continue reading “Mayer’s Challenge: Merging the Cultures of Yahoo and Tumblr”
SimpleRelevance Lands $1,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3e0eb2d6-19d3-41bf-87dc-6c64a781af5b&Preview=1 Date 5/23/2013 Company Name SimpleRelevance Mailing Address 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza 12th Floor Chicago, IL 60654 Company Description An email marketing platform, SimpleRelevance says its analytics-driven approach can improve revenue per message by 30-300 percent. Website http://www.simplerelevance.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The … Continue reading “SimpleRelevance Lands $1,000,000 New Financing Round”
Bay Area’s TubeMogul Opens Detroit Office to Pursue Automotive Ad Dollars
TubeMogul, a Bay Area startup that runs a platform distributing pay-per-view video ads across the Internet, announced earlier this month that it is opening an office in downtown Detroit. TubeMogul joins companies like Twitter in setting up shop in Dan Gilbert’s Madison Building and deploying new technologies to chase Big Three ad dollars. TubeMogul’s Jen … Continue reading “Bay Area’s TubeMogul Opens Detroit Office to Pursue Automotive Ad Dollars”
Go East, Young Developers
This week, Yahoo announced the acquisition of Tumblr, and journalists, pundits, investors, and advertisers alike speculated on what the acquisition means for Tumblr users, for Yahoo’s future, and for the technology space overall. What was missing from the dialogue was what the acquisition could mean for the East Coast, specifically my hometown of New York … Continue reading “Go East, Young Developers”
Gesture Is the New Touch
Most of us spend many waking hours hunched over our smartphones and tablets. We peck away on our miniature keypads, squint at our tiny screens, and pinch and flick Web pages in order to improve our view. But what if there were a better way? The judges of the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition think there … Continue reading “Gesture Is the New Touch”
Healthsense Garners $4,337,157 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1e252223-81dc-4cbc-9ff2-010ade356499&Preview=1 Date 5/22/2013 Company Name Healthsense Mailing Address 1191 Northland Dr. Mendota Heights, MN 55120 Company Description Healthsense, based in Mendota Heights, MN, is a market leader in providing technology solutions for the future of aging services. Healthsense offers completely integrated systems based on a standard Wi-Fi platform for Personal Emergency Response … Continue reading “Healthsense Garners $4,337,157 New Financing”
ViewRay Lands $14,999,998 Series D Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1411f893-ca58-4608-a274-a0244b3012f2&Preview=1 Date 5/22/2013 Company Name ViewRay Mailing Address 2 Thermo Fisher Way Oakwood Village, OH 44146 Company Description The patent pending Renaissance race System 1000 combines two proven technologies: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and gamma ray radiotherapy. Conversely, today’s competing image-guided radiotherapy systems are based on linear accelerators which require CT or … Continue reading “ViewRay Lands $14,999,998 Series D Round”
MoveIn Receives $215,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=165161ef-bff3-4006-b49a-b8cc0a9ef0b0&Preview=1 Date 5/22/2013 Company Name MoveIn Mailing Address 1 E. Main St. Madison, WI 53703 Company Description We founded MoveinMadison.com in January 2011 for a simple reason: apartment hunting in Madison just plain sucked. As UW students and then recent graduates with more than 10 Madison apartment hunts between us, we had … Continue reading “MoveIn Receives $215,000 New Round”
The Star Thrower, or How Healthcare Looks to Consumers
It is always interesting how events find ways of connecting themselves together even when they seem so unrelated. I was at my sister Alexis’ graduation from law school on Friday, where I had gone directly from leaving a several day event organized by Health Evolution Partners. At the event I had occasion to meet with … Continue reading “The Star Thrower, or How Healthcare Looks to Consumers”
Juan Enriquez on the Forces Shaping Innovation: A Napa Summit Preview
What are the most powerful forces affecting innovation and the economy? That is one of the key questions facing the nation as we inch our way out of the economic mire. Juan Enriquez may not have all the answers, but he has some deep insights into the path forward, and a way of framing the … Continue reading “Juan Enriquez on the Forces Shaping Innovation: A Napa Summit Preview”
Venture Debt as Growth Capital? You Bet.
It’s easy to understand why most discussions about the state of venture capital investing paint a pessimistic view. Access to institutional equity dollars is increasingly limited for new entrepreneurs and early stage companies, and an anemic fundraising environment for VC firms is contributing to the long-anticipated “VC shakeout.” We’re also at a cyclical low in … Continue reading “Venture Debt as Growth Capital? You Bet.”
The Top Five Traits to Look For in Prospective Startup Employees
Most successful entrepreneurs will tell you that the fastest way to kill a startup is to hire the wrong people. It’s true. As someone who has helped build multiple startups, I cannot overstate the importance of assembling a stellar core team. They are the ones who will transform your ideas into reality, and help you … Continue reading “The Top Five Traits to Look For in Prospective Startup Employees”
Zillions of Biotech Conferences Want You. Which Should You Attend?
Biotech industry conferences are happening, somewhere on this green Earth, every day. If you’ve been around a while, and you’ve attended a few, chances are you get invitations, or marketing pitches, that ask you to attend a different meeting every day. If you’re new to the business, you may not be on all the lists. … Continue reading “Zillions of Biotech Conferences Want You. Which Should You Attend?”
Ablative Solutions Obtains $950,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=493dfa68-299d-46cf-887a-888e4f531845&Preview=1 Date 5/20/2013 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 Obtains $950,000 New Funding Round”
Nine Lessons for Innovators from a Nobel Prize-Winning Psychologist
I was pretty slow about getting around to reading Thinking, Fast and Slow. The career-capping book by Princeton psychologist Daniel Kahneman, one of the founders of behavioral economics, spent months on all the bestseller lists back in 2011. I finally picked up a paperback copy a couple of weeks ago. The book is mainly about … Continue reading “Nine Lessons for Innovators from a Nobel Prize-Winning Psychologist”
Kiva’s Domestic Microlending Initiative Expands to Flint
Kiva Detroit, Kiva’s first domestic microlending initiative—and the country’s first community-led microlending program—spent its first year focused on expanding the social network of lenders and community volunteers on the ground actively recruiting small businesses in need of a loan. Now, Michigan Corps has replicated that model for the first time and launched it in a … Continue reading “Kiva’s Domestic Microlending Initiative Expands to Flint”
Real Estate Move: DocuSign Buys Cartavi, Strengthens Ties with zipLogix
Electronic signatures company DocuSign is beefing up its real estate line with the acquisition of Cartavi and a tighter partnership with zipLogix, meant to enable transactions using any device. DocuSign—founded in Seattle in 2004, but with its headquarters now in San Francisco—has had a partnership with Cartavi, based in Naperville, IL, for the last year … Continue reading “Real Estate Move: DocuSign Buys Cartavi, Strengthens Ties with zipLogix”
DocuSign Acquires Cartavi for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ddc494c2-19e7-40fd-bcf3-da6d47d6e773&Preview=1 Date 5/15/2013 Company Name Cartavi Mailing Address 1755 Park Street Naperville, IL 60563 Company Description Cartavi is simple web-based software that allows you to securely share documents with everyone involved in the process of buying or selling residential real estate. It gives professionals and their clients a central spot to easily … Continue reading “DocuSign Acquires Cartavi for Undisclosed Sum”
Make Cyber Security Training Mandatory
The online world can be a dangerous place for the unprepared. And it’s just going to get worse. It’s time to teach cyber security as integral part of the high school and college curriculum and to all corporate employees. I grew up in New York City and for a few years heaven on earth for … Continue reading “Make Cyber Security Training Mandatory”
Henri Termeer on Startups, Drug Prices, Getting Older (Part 2)
Yesterday, we ran the first part of a wide-ranging interview with Henri Termeer, the legendary biotech entrepreneur and former CEO of Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme. He spoke about what kinds of startups he likes to get involved in, the trend toward drug companies working on rare diseases, and efforts to repair pharma’s damaged reputation. Today, he … Continue reading “Henri Termeer on Startups, Drug Prices, Getting Older (Part 2)”
NYT: Chinese Automakers Building Detroit Presence
A story ran in Monday’s New York Times detailing the increasing presence of Chinese automakers in Detroit. Though the headline suggested the Chinese companies were establishing their American outposts “quietly,” Xconomy reported on the trend in July 2011. Though the NYT article claimed there was no way to know for certain how many Chinese companies … Continue reading “NYT: Chinese Automakers Building Detroit Presence”
Supply Vision Secures $1,400,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9d0ce89d-1509-4a29-b196-2565dac9125d&Preview=1 Date 5/14/2013 Company Name Supply Vision Mailing Address 661 W Lake St Chicago, IL 60661 Company Description The experts at Supply Vision have created a suite of logistics technologies to help you manage your business most efficiently. The combination of cloud-based TMS, WMS and Customer Portal products – enhanced by a … Continue reading “Supply Vision Secures $1,400,000 New Financing”
Tastytrade Garners $699,586 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f91229ac-34cd-47fc-8471-87ab1f743de6&Preview=1 Date 5/14/2013 Company Name Tastytrade Mailing Address 19 North Sangamon Street Chicago, IL 60607 Company Description Tastytrade is different. It’s something that even our parents can use to understand a Lil Wayne rap song and save money. Or where our 20-year-old niece can learn more about actionable finance than an internship … Continue reading “Tastytrade Garners $699,586 New Financing Round”
Bootstrapping Products with Services
Because it’s often so difficult for entrepreneurs to obtain seed funding for their startups, bootstrapping is one of the best methods to self-fund their projects. And offering a service is one of the best ways to go. This, by the way, remains a controversial point of view, and most industry observers will take the position … Continue reading “Bootstrapping Products with Services”
Trigger Tips, Tricks, and Tales: Detroit Salesforce Developer User Group
LevelEleven CTO Kevin O’Hara will deliver a presentation on all aspects of Trigger development. A brainstorming session will take place at the end of the event. For details and registration, click here.
NewME To Bring Silicon Valley to Detroit With Pop-Up Event
The San Francisco-based NewME Accelerator, a tech startup incubator focused on businesses led by minorities underrepresented in the tech world, is planning a Detroit pop-up accelerator May 29 to May 31. The three-day event is being held in partnership with Google for Entrepreneurs, TechTown, Bizdom, the Mobile Technology Association of Michigan, and Wayne State University. … Continue reading “NewME To Bring Silicon Valley to Detroit With Pop-Up Event”
Henri Termeer on Startups, Drug Prices, Getting Older (Part 1)
Henri Termeer could have easily faded away into obscurity a couple years ago. The biotech pioneer could have relaxed at his oceanside home in Maine, played a little golf. Or, if he wanted, he could have made loads of money at a private equity firm. Certainly, he didn’t need to mess around with hungry little … Continue reading “Henri Termeer on Startups, Drug Prices, Getting Older (Part 1)”
SnowShoe Obtains $118,000 Seed Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f8355089-fe81-44de-8658-79f105824338&Preview=1 Date 5/13/2013 Company Name SnowShoe Mailing Address 640 West Washington Ave Madison, WI 53703 Company Description Based in Madison, WI, SnowShoe develops innovative technology solutions for mobile platforms. Website http://www.beta.snowshoestamp.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction Amount $118,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes The company will use the proceeds to accelerate its initial … Continue reading “SnowShoe Obtains $118,000 Seed Financing Round”
Women 2.0 Founder Friday Event
Tech entrepreneurs, programmers, investors, and other innovators will come together for this networking event held the first Friday of every month. Location TBA. For details, click here.
Find Your Next Superstar
Businesses: Get connected to the resources that can help you find superstar employees. For details, click here.
ePrize Snaps Up Competitor in Third Acquisition This Year
The Pleasant Ridge, MI-based digital marketing and engagement company ePrize announced this week that it has acquired Promotions.com. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the company did say it will retain 13 Promotions.com employees and fold them into its New York and Chicago offices. Promotions.com offered similar services as ePrize: digital promotions … Continue reading “ePrize Snaps Up Competitor in Third Acquisition This Year”
Life After PowerPoint: Prezi Zooms Ahead in Digital Storytelling
Not every speech is improved by visual aids. Abraham Lincoln made do without PowerPoint at Gettysburg (though wags have tried to reimagine that), and Franklin Roosevelt’s voice on the radio in 1933 calmed a nation rattled by the Great Depression and cemented the New Deal. But there’s high oratory, and then there’s the old-fashioned presentation, … Continue reading “Life After PowerPoint: Prezi Zooms Ahead in Digital Storytelling”
BioAmber Secures $80,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b398be97-0af1-425e-ab2a-25a8ba5f682a&Preview=1 Date 5/10/2013 Company Name BioAmber Mailing Address 3850 Annapolis Ln. N. Plymouth, MN 55447 Company Description BioAmber (NYSE: BIOA) is a renewable chemistry company. We use agricultural crops and transform them into green chemicals that directly substitute petrochemicals (chemicals derived from fossil fuels). Website http://www.Bio-Amber.com Transaction Type IPO Transaction Amount $80,000,000 … Continue reading “BioAmber Secures $80,000,000 New Financing”
Crowdhall Obtains $700K Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c6d76907-b303-4ef3-9a9f-6337d57daf99&Preview=1 Date 5/10/2013 Company Name Crowdhall Mailing Address 1411 Vine St Cincinnati, OH 45202 Company Description CrowdHall is a venue for crowd-sourced town halls. It allows large audiences to communicate up in an organized and prioritized manner. CrowdHall allows people, organizations, and businesses to invite the audiences in their existing social networks … Continue reading “Crowdhall Obtains $700K Series B Funding Round”
YCharts Receives $3,875,000 Series C Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3096adf1-04af-411a-8a2d-fa5a26edeaa0&Preview=1 Date 5/10/2013 Company Name YCharts Mailing Address 414 N. Orleans Chicago, IL 60654 Company Description YCharts was founded in Chicago in 2008 by executives with experience at top companies including Google, The Wall Street Journal and Bear Stearns. YCharts’ powerful company and market research tool combines advanced data analysis, proprietary algorithms … Continue reading “YCharts Receives $3,875,000 Series C Funding”