Anyone in business journalism knows full well the power of the Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism. Loeb was a founding partner of E.F. Hutton and a noted author and columnist, and the awards he created in 1957 to promote and recognize great writing and reporting for individual investors have become something … Continue reading “Xconomy Editor Luke Timmerman a Finalist for Loeb Award”
Category: Detroit
Looking to the Future of A New Kind of Science
[This is the third in a series of posts about A New Kind of Science. Previous posts have covered the original reaction to the book and what’s happened since it was published. This post first appeared on Wolfram’s blog—Eds.] Today ten years have passed since A New Kind of Science (”the NKS book”) was published. But in many … Continue reading “Looking to the Future of A New Kind of Science”
ASCO Preview: Eight Cancer Drugs to Watch at the Big Show
The pistons of the biggest publicity engine in cancer R&D will start firing this week. It’s time to behold the annual rite of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, the biggest event for showing off what’s new and interesting in the treatment of cancer. This conference, officially held June 1-5 at McCormick Place … Continue reading “ASCO Preview: Eight Cancer Drugs to Watch at the Big Show”
Livio Connect Wins Frost & Sullivan Product Development Award
Ferndale, MI-based Livio Radio announced this week that it has won the Frost & Sullivan 2012 New Product Innovation Award for its Livio Connect API. The technology connects mobile apps on drivers’ phones to their cars, allowing the apps to show up on the stereo’s dashboard touchscreen. Frost & Sullivan is a trusted auto analyst, says Livio’s … Continue reading “Livio Connect Wins Frost & Sullivan Product Development Award”
Verizon Connected Technology Tour
The Mobile Technology Association of Michigan hosts this interactive seminar that will show businesses how to leverage mobile technology for better efficiency, higher revenues, and happier customers. For details and to RSVP, click here.
Touch Press, the iPad, and the New Golden Age of Multimedia
Back in 2008 (exactly 180 columns ago, in fact) I wrote an elegy for the CD-ROM. If you’re under the age of 30, you probably won’t know what I’m talking about, but there was a brief span of time in the mid-1990s—after the emergence of personal computers powerful enough to handle multimedia content, but before … Continue reading “Touch Press, the iPad, and the New Golden Age of Multimedia”
Axonia Medical Obtains $2,000,000 Seed Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8dbd84c7-2d04-4c05-84a5-30e2b619c35b&Preview=1 Date 5/11/2012 Company Name Axonia Medical Mailing Address 4321 Roxbury Lane Kalamazoo, MI 49008 Company Description The concept of Axonia’s technology, which is spun out of the University of Pennsylvania, hinges on the production of axons, the long thin parts of nerve cells that carry signals to distant target cells. Unlike … Continue reading “Axonia Medical Obtains $2,000,000 Seed Financing”
GrowDetroit Meetup: Startup Life in College vs. Post-College
This summer startup bash hosted by GrowDetroit and Wayne State’s Blackstone LaunchPad offers attendees the chance to network and participate in a panel discussion. After the Q&A, the party moves down the street to Traffic Jam & Snug, a restaurant in the Midtown area of Detroit. Click here to RSVP to this free event.
50+ Entrepreneur Peer Networking Meeting
Sponsored by BOOM! The New Economy, entrepreneurs in the “encore” stage of their careers are invited to attend to meet other Boomers interested in starting a new businesses.
Maker Faire Detroit
If you can make it, it will be displayed at Maker Faire Detroit—that means everything from robots to electronics to clothing. Tinkerers of every variety will be on hand at this family-friendly event sponsored by Make magazine. Booth space is still available; click here to apply. Event information and details can be found here.
Credentialock Wants to Conquer the Global Verification Market
My mom keeps my college diploma in a frame on the wall of her home office, but the last time I saw my college transcripts, two apartments ago, they were sitting in a moving box along with a decade’s worth of tax returns. Luckily, in the journalism profession, one doesn’t generally need to keep track … Continue reading “Credentialock Wants to Conquer the Global Verification Market”
Xconomist of the Week: Len Schlesinger on Learning by Doing
Are successful entrepreneurs born with an innate sense that tells them which risky business bets will pay off? Or is this a skill that that can be learned over time? To Babson College President and Xconomist Leonard “Len” Schlesinger, the answer to both questions is yes. There are occasional business prodigies like Steve Jobs who … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Len Schlesinger on Learning by Doing”
A 10-Point Plan to Stimulate Biotech & the Economy as a Whole
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA Dear President Obama: As you and the rest of our nation’s leadership grapple with the momentous questions of restoring our collective financial stability and eminence, I am hopeful that some lessons from my background as an immigrant—now naturalized citizen—might prove instructive. The undeniable fact that runs throughout all the … Continue reading “A 10-Point Plan to Stimulate Biotech & the Economy as a Whole”
Facebook and the Opportunity for eCommerce Entrepreneurs
The pieces are in place for Facebook’s IPO next week—not only has the company set its stock price range and updated its Q1 numbers, it has also attempted to de-risk the biggest perceived risk in the first draft of its S-1: exposure to mobile competition. Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion, which ostensibly will help it approach … Continue reading “Facebook and the Opportunity for eCommerce Entrepreneurs”
Vestaron Lands $10,200,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3bb3f36c-51c6-4093-b60e-1cf96ac6fb03&Preview=1 Date 5/9/2012 Company Name Vestaron Mailing Address 4717 Campus Drive Kalamazoo, MI 49008 Company Description Vestaron Corporation is developing a new generation of insecticides by employing peptides sourced from spiders – insecticides that are ideally suited for the environmentally conscious, twenty-first century. Over 50 unique, spider-venom peptides with novel sites of … Continue reading “Vestaron Lands $10,200,000 Series B Financing”
Future Simple Secures $6,800,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=60a65b0e-615a-4aba-a471-217549c05f54&Preview=1 Date 5/9/2012 Company Name Future Simple Mailing Address 2551 N. Clark Chicago, IL 60614 Company Description The company develops software that helps small businesses grow their business. Website http://www.futuresimple.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,800,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes The company will use the proceeds to continue and … Continue reading “Future Simple Secures $6,800,000 Series B Funding Round”
Magna E-Car Systems: A Hybrid-Electric Success Story
In late March, the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) announced that it had decided to cancel its 2012 Business of Plugging In (BPI) conference, one of the biggest annual confabs dedicated to electric vehicles in the nation. The first Business of Plugging In conference was held in 2009. According to its website, the 2010 conference … Continue reading “Magna E-Car Systems: A Hybrid-Electric Success Story”
First Comes The $1,000 genome, Then Comes The $10,000 Analysis
While everyone in the in the world of sequencing has heard this cynical joke, as an industry, the joke is about to be on us. We have focused our time, energy and investment on the ability to sequence the genome in a day, and have largely ignored the computational power required to extract and analyze … Continue reading “First Comes The $1,000 genome, Then Comes The $10,000 Analysis”
Belly Receives $10,000,000 Series B Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=681988a7-4dc3-4385-8c48-ab9956a741f7&Preview=1 Date 5/8/2012 Company Name Belly Mailing Address Undisclosed Chicago, IL 60601 Company Description Belly is a universal loyalty program that customers can take with them anywhere! We’re spreading the love to your favorite places, enabling you to earn rewards wherever you go. Website http://www.bellycard.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,000,000 … Continue reading “Belly Receives $10,000,000 Series B Funding”
Ford Offers Employees Free TechShop Memberships to Spur Innovation
As TechShop Detroit celebrated its grand opening last weekend, Ford announced a new employee incentive program at the makerspace designed to encourage the next generation of Henry Fords by unleashing their inner inventors. The Employee Patent Incentive Award program gives inventors “a free three-month membership to TechShop Detroit for submitting an invention worthy of patent consideration,” … Continue reading “Ford Offers Employees Free TechShop Memberships to Spur Innovation”
Antibiotic R&D is in Trouble: Here’s One Way to Fix It
Bacteria have been on Earth for more than a billion years, evolving in crafty ways to stay alive amid all kinds of threats. Only about 70 years ago, antibiotics came along and became one of the great triumphs of medicine, giving us the upper hand against infectious bugs. But the combination of government-funded research and … Continue reading “Antibiotic R&D is in Trouble: Here’s One Way to Fix It”
FreeAgent Acquires 60mo for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a6671cc8-7dd3-42d0-85c8-80d54fd01772&Preview=1 Date 5/7/2012 Company Name 60mo Mailing Address 2922 Cleveland Rd. Wooster, OH 44691 Company Description The company provides online service to businesses connecting them to their various bank accounts and financial information services. Website http://www.60mo.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the … Continue reading “FreeAgent Acquires 60mo for Undisclosed Sum”
New Digital Game, Social Network To Help Detroiters Map City’s Future
Detroit Works, the agency charged with planning what the Detroit of tomorrow will look like, is about to unveil a new online game and accompanying social network designed to allow Detroiters to help map the city’s future. Launching Monday, Detroit 24-7 is an interactive game funded by the Knight Foundation and designed by Community PlanIt. The Boston-based … Continue reading “New Digital Game, Social Network To Help Detroiters Map City’s Future”
Xconomist of the Week: Rebecca Lynn on the Financial Services Boom
Morgenthaler Ventures partner Rebecca Lynn shows up at just about every Health 2.0 event in Silicon Valley—heck, she organizes some of them, like Morgenthaler’s annual DC to VC health IT showcase. So if you only went to those events, you might think that was Lynn’s whole investing focus. But in fact, the Xconomist’s portfolio at Morgenthaler … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Rebecca Lynn on the Financial Services Boom”
Winners of “MI 50 Companies to Watch” Awards To Be Announced
The annual awards for the Edward Lowe Foundation‘s Michigan 50 Companies to Watch contest will be announced tonight at a gala celebration in Lansing. The awards go to growth-stage companies that are singled out for innovation, corporate culture, philanthropy, and the impact they make on local and state markets. To be eligible, companies must be … Continue reading “Winners of “MI 50 Companies to Watch” Awards To Be Announced”
Virtual Biotech Companies: Built on Solid Bedrock or Unstable Landfill?
A recent meeting focused on “Reinventing Biotech’s Business Model” provided an interesting window into the spectrum of approaches being used to create new biotech companies. Unfortunately, it did little to relieve the concerns I recently voiced regarding the expanding numbers of “virtual” biotechs. This model is becoming a popular archetype for the creation of new … Continue reading “Virtual Biotech Companies: Built on Solid Bedrock or Unstable Landfill?”
Vixar Lands $2,500,000 Series B Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cb2788ca-373f-4bfe-838c-1bb3a8f04964&Preview=1 Date 5/3/2012 Company Name Vixar Mailing Address 2950 Xenium Lane Plymouth, MN 55447 Company Description Vixar manufactures short wavelength (650nm to 800nm) VCSEL and LED based optical components and subassemblies for sensor and device applications within the biomedical, industrial, office product, automotive and consumer industries. Website http://www.vixarinc.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Vixar Lands $2,500,000 Series B Funding”
Michigan Lean Startup Conference
Calling all startups, investors, and tech professionals. Conference attendees will get practical advice on customer development, customer acquisition, business model generation, marketing, raising capital, and more. Includes a networking event in the evening. All attendees will receive two books on lean entrepreneurship. To register, click here.
Entrepreneur’s Forum
Automation Alley hosts this event where three emerging tech companies will present their business plans to be critiqued by venture capitalists, angel investors, and other business professionals. The event is free; for details, click here.
Economic Gardening Conference
Economic developers and entrepreneurs will gather to share ideas about business development strategies. Governor Rick Snyder will be the keynote speaker. For details and registration, click here.
Bursting the Education Bubble: MIT and Harvard’s edX Is Just the Beginning
If the higher-education bubble bursts, it may well start in Boston. That would be fitting, given how many universities, students, and education-focused tech innovators we have here in the Northeast. Yes, I know the premise of such a bubble is controversial. But anyone dealing with the skyrocketing costs of college tuition, coupled with the high … Continue reading “Bursting the Education Bubble: MIT and Harvard’s edX Is Just the Beginning”
5 Things to Do Before the New Patent Law Takes Full Effect
On September 16, 2011, President Obama signed into law the America Invents Act, the most important modification to U.S. patent law in 60 years—and some even argue, since 1836. Some changes went into effect immediately, such as fee penalties for submitting paper applications and strict rules on when multiple defendants can be joined together in … Continue reading “5 Things to Do Before the New Patent Law Takes Full Effect”
Blue Pillar Receives $7,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=905fc378-0bdf-4a26-8ee3-1ebcea2f6715&Preview=1 Date 5/2/2012 Company Name Blue Pillar Mailing Address 9025 North River Road Indianapolis, IN 46240 Company Description Blue Pillar delivers campus-wide energy asset security, efficiency and financial return through precision monitoring, diagnostics, and control in one platform. Website http://www.bluepillar.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Blue Pillar Receives $7,000,000 New Financing Round”
Total Attorneys Garners $15,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4a0db1e0-a04c-401d-8473-ed4f0828a2bc&Preview=1 Date 5/2/2012 Company Name Total Attorneys Mailing Address 25 East Washington Chicago, IL 60602 Company Description Total Attorneys is a cloud-based service provider dedicated to assisting with every aspect of small and solo law firm practice management, growth and development. Website http://www.totalattorneys.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Total Attorneys Garners $15,000,000 New Funding Round”
ArdentCause Scores New Investment From Philanthropic Accelerator
ArdentCause, the Ferndale, MI-based startup that has developed software to help nonprofits manage resources and track the progress of grantees, recently received funding from the Southfield, MI-based Mission Throttle, a philanthropic accelerator, by way of the Detroit Development Fund. Though ArdentCause co-founder Kathleen Norton-Schock declines to specify the amount of the investment, she will say … Continue reading “ArdentCause Scores New Investment From Philanthropic Accelerator”
Berwick’s Advice: Cost-Effectiveness Is Here to Stay
Dr. Donald Berwick, the former administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, held his post from July 2010 until December 2011 (about 18 months if you’re counting), before resigning in the face of sustained Senate opposition to confirmation. He has kept a fairly low profile since his departure from the agency, but he … Continue reading “Berwick’s Advice: Cost-Effectiveness Is Here to Stay”
Biotech IPOs Start to Show Some Modest Signs of Life
[Updated: 2:10 pm ET, 5/2/12] Something feels wrong about putting the words “biotech” and “IPO” together in a headline. This market has been lifeless for so long that few investors even play the game anymore. Biotech entrepreneurs I talk to seem to feel a bit sheepish about saying they are considering an IPO, probably because … Continue reading “Biotech IPOs Start to Show Some Modest Signs of Life”
Michigan State Creates Spartan Innovations to Launch Spin-Offs
Michigan State University is stepping up its efforts to turn research into viable startups with the newly formed subsidiary Spartan Innovations, which will help the university’s faculty and students form spin-off companies based on technology developed at MSU, while also building the local culture of entrepreneurship. “Our goal is to accelerate the formation of companies … Continue reading “Michigan State Creates Spartan Innovations to Launch Spin-Offs”
Taking Open Biology to the Next Level: Notes from the Sage Congress
Last week, attendees of Sage Bionetworks’ 3rd Annual Congress came to San Francisco with the bold charge to speed up drug discovery and ready to stand on the shoulders of the previous two Congresses to take the nascent open source biology movement from a thinking to a doing stage. Pitched as “Building Better Models of … Continue reading “Taking Open Biology to the Next Level: Notes from the Sage Congress”
Hey, Silicon Valley: Wake Up and Smell the Robots
Investors and entrepreneurs in the Bay Area pride themselves on being the first to identify and exploit new technologies with huge commercial potential. And they’ve earned the right to be a little cocky. Since 1960, Silicon Valley companies have been the pacesetters in four consecutive infotech revolutions (semiconductors, personal computers, the Internet, and mobile). It’s … Continue reading “Hey, Silicon Valley: Wake Up and Smell the Robots”
Announcing Xconomy’s Napa Summit: Keeping America Growing
As the Presidential campaign heats up, one of the most pressing issues on the minds of candidates and voters alike is the future of American growth and competitiveness. So it is our great pleasure to announce an exclusive Xconomy gathering dedicated to exploring this vital issue with some of the most knowledgeable experts on the … Continue reading “Announcing Xconomy’s Napa Summit: Keeping America Growing”
Xconomist of the Week: Michael Greeley Dissects the VC Data
Michael Greeley is no pessimist. Eeyores don’t get picked to run the New England Venture Capital Association, as Greeley did from 2005 to 2008, and they don’t win gubernatorial appointments to state entrepreneurship boards. But he’s more willing than most VCs to talk about troubling trends in the innovation economy. So we paid attention earlier … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Michael Greeley Dissects the VC Data”
Blaze Medical Devices Lands New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=63a1f1ea-e76c-4ba1-a45d-0b77d95bc206&Preview=1 Date 4/26/2012 Company Name Blaze Medical Devices Mailing Address 330 East Liberty St. Lower Level Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Company Description Blaze Medical Devices was initially formed as a Michigan LLC in 2006. For the first few years, its founders focused on developing its core technology, as well as establishing relationships … Continue reading “Blaze Medical Devices Lands New Funding Round”
Angott Medical Products Secures New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8ebf1391-f5ff-458d-8399-0d0b5a4817c8&Preview=1 Date 4/26/2012 Company Name Angott Medical Products Mailing Address Undisclosed Southfield, MI 48034 Company Description Angott Medical Products (AMP) has developed a low cost, non-invasive, comfortable, radiation-free, medical device to screen for breast cancer (BC). It uses three proven modalities and combines the results for superior sensitivity and fewer false negatives. … Continue reading “Angott Medical Products Secures New Funding”
ePaySelect Lands New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=56443898-0d03-47d0-92a2-299ff0f91e21&Preview=1 Date 4/26/2012 Company Name ePaySelect Mailing Address 6016 Foxboro Court Midland, MI 48640 Company Description ePaySelect is developing an electronic bill payment system. Website http://www.epayselect.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund
Syzygy Biotech Receives New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f6917427-41e7-452e-b1d7-76bf6a3e3837&Preview=1 Date 4/26/2012 Company Name Syzygy Biotech Mailing Address 301 Michigan Street NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Company Description Syzygy Biotech is a protein factory based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Our products are fundamental components of life science activities involving DNA. Our proprietary methods, discoveries and intellectual property support products and services … Continue reading “Syzygy Biotech Receives New Funding”
Oxus America Garners New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ca9c1dbe-abab-49f5-afcc-778d6d917a0e&Preview=1 Date 4/26/2012 Company Name Oxus America Mailing Address 1685 Northfield Drive Rochester Hills, MI 48309 Company Description Oxus America is developing a portable oxygen concentrator medical device. Website http://www.oxusamerica.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Michigan … Continue reading “Oxus America Garners New Financing”
SingleHop Lands $27,500,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=51337d3b-df67-4b0b-91c7-ad65547ba82f&Preview=1 Date 4/26/2012 Company Name SingleHop Mailing Address 621 W. Randolph St. 3rd Floor Chicago, IL 60661 Company Description The company provides a variety of cloud infrastructure services. Website http://www.singlehop.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $27,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Battery … Continue reading “SingleHop Lands $27,500,000 New Funding Round”
Axonia Medical Secures New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8e07fae4-c675-466b-b2d6-affa71b805d8&Preview=1 Date 4/26/2012 Company Name Axonia Medical Mailing Address Undisclosed Kalamazoo, MI 49001 Company Description Axonia Medical, a Kalamazoo, Michigan-based start up that is developing technology to rebuild and restore damaged peripheral or central nervous systems using tissue-engineered nerve grafts. Website http://www.axoniamedical.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “Axonia Medical Secures New Financing”
DeNovo Sciences Obtains New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=241e8b8d-4d86-4611-8008-c122c4cdd5d5&Preview=1 Date 4/26/2012 Company Name DeNovo Sciences Mailing Address 46701 Commerce Center Drive Plymouth, MI 48170 Company Description We are a team of young, dynamic entrepreneurs and experienced industry veterans committed to bringing cutting-edge CTC detection technology to the cancer research and clinical markets. Our team has a unique balance of talents … Continue reading “DeNovo Sciences Obtains New Financing”