Recently, the student accelerator program mystartupXX, a joint program of UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management and the Jacobs School of Engineering, won a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Growth Accelerator Fund Competition winner. We were one of 68 winners announced Aug. 31 in the nationwide contest. This was … Continue reading “How We Won $50,000 in SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Contest”
Category: Indiana
Bio Roundup: Cancer Wishes and Shopping Lists, Allergan Pricing & More
[Corrected, 9/12/16, 4:28 p.m. See below.] What do cancer experts want? The moon, perhaps. As part of the Obama administration’s “cancer moonshot” program, a panel of scientists this week presented a set of broad, ambitious recommendations to speed up the pace of cancer research, treatment, and prevention. The scientific goals, writ large, included nationwide data … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Cancer Wishes and Shopping Lists, Allergan Pricing & More”
Tyler Jacks, Cancer Moonshot Panel Co-Chair, Discusses Roadmap
The Obama administration wants to speed up cancer research with its “Cancer Moonshot” program—packing 10 years’ worth of work on prevention and treatment programs into five is one of its rallying cries. Agreeing on what to do, and how to do it, is the first step. The FDA agreed this summer to reorganize the way … Continue reading “Tyler Jacks, Cancer Moonshot Panel Co-Chair, Discusses Roadmap”
Octiv Obtains $4,750,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dc5e5fee-b9fa-43d8-86a4-d060c0d49e38 Date 9/9/2016 Company Name Octiv Mailing Address 54 Monument Circle Indianapolis, IN 46204 USA Company Description The Octiv sales productivity platform revolutionizes connection and collaboration across the sales software ecosystem, redefining what’s possible for sales teams everywhere. Website http://www.octiv.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,750,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Octiv Obtains $4,750,000 New Financing”
Enterprise Software Startup DroneDeploy Closes $20M Series B Round
San Francisco’s DroneDeploy, a cloud-based software startup serving the commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market, closed on a $20 million Series B round late last month. Scale Venture Partners led the round, with participation from High Alpha Capital and a host of previous investors. As part of the deal, Rory O’Driscoll, Scale Venture Partners co-founder … Continue reading “Enterprise Software Startup DroneDeploy Closes $20M Series B Round”
Owl Manor’s Regenerative Medicine Veterinary Tech Lands $1.2M Round
Regenerative medicine techniques offer ways to tap into the body’s own healing abilities to treat injuries. Owl Manor Veterinary says its technology offers a better alternative to other biological treatments for joint damage in horses and dogs and now the medical device company has $1.2 million in capital to advance its efforts. Warsaw, IN-based Owl … Continue reading “Owl Manor’s Regenerative Medicine Veterinary Tech Lands $1.2M Round”
The Power of Polymers
Throughout history, innovative humans have developed technology to overcome or adapt to challenges in the natural world. As it turns out, some of our most important advances were actually inspired by a naturally occurring group of materials: polymers. Derived from Greek words meaning “many parts,” the word polymer refers to a large molecule composed of … Continue reading “The Power of Polymers”
With New Name and $47M, Proclara Begins First Big Alzheimer’s Test
Despite a litany of high profile failures among drugs to fight Alzheimer’s disease, biotechs and pharma companies continue to pour billions of dollars into the fight. The latest firm to get a financial boost is a startup from Cambridge, MA, that until today has been known as Neurophage Pharmaceuticals. The company has raised $47 million … Continue reading “With New Name and $47M, Proclara Begins First Big Alzheimer’s Test”
Immunotherapy Clinical Tests Spur Hope, and Plenty of Headaches
Thanks to remarkable results in a small group of patients, including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, cancer immunotherapy has spurred talk of once impossible-to-imagine cures and has gained its share, perhaps more than its share, of hype. But immunotherapy is also creating new challenges and exacerbating old ones for doctors, patients, and researchers. These new … Continue reading “Immunotherapy Clinical Tests Spur Hope, and Plenty of Headaches”
Overcoming the Cybersecurity Skills Gap
For several years now, the “cybersecurity skills gap” has been a top challenge for organizations. The statistics are well-vetted, and they tell a clear story: —There are many unfilled security jobs: The industry is facing 1.5 million unfilled IT security jobs globally by 2020. —The hiring problem is getting harder to figure out: Ninety-two percent of businesses say it’s … Continue reading “Overcoming the Cybersecurity Skills Gap”
Indy Startup PoliticalBank Aims to Unite Voters and Candidates Online
The founders of Indianapolis startup PoliticalBank believe they’ve found a way to make the democratic process a bit more democratic. Billing itself as the first online community of its kind to bring candidates and voters together, PoliticalBank.com is a free, nonpartisan website. It allows the roughly 810,000 Americans who run for office in a two-year … Continue reading “Indy Startup PoliticalBank Aims to Unite Voters and Candidates Online”
IN Roundup: The Oscars of Invention, State’s Top Companies & More
Here’s a look at recent innovation news from around Indiana: —Purdue University researcher Vilas Pol leads a team that has been named a finalist for the 2016 R&D 100 award, which a press release described as “the Oscars of invention.” Pol, who is a chemical engineering professor, helped developed a process to convert used packing … Continue reading “IN Roundup: The Oscars of Invention, State’s Top Companies & More”
Cook Medical’s Creissel Named VP of Operations for China
Jean-Marc Creissel, vice president of Cook Medical’s urology business unit, has been appointed the company’s vice president of operations for the greater China region. Creissel has worked in a variety of roles since joining the Bloomington, IN-based medical device company in 1990. For his new position, he will relocate from the United States to Hong … Continue reading “Cook Medical’s Creissel Named VP of Operations for China”
Bio Roundup: RIP Roger Tsien, Novartis CAR-T Wheel, Zika News & More
A man who helped shed light—fluorescent light—on biology died far too early, at the age of 64. Nobel Prize winner Roger Tsien, a UC San Diego chemist, passed away in Oregon this week. No cause of death has been announced. He helped turn a jellyfish protein into an invaluable lab tool that every researcher knows … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: RIP Roger Tsien, Novartis CAR-T Wheel, Zika News & More”
Genesys Dials Up $1.4B for Interactive Intelligence in Call Centers
Call center software provider Genesys has ambitions to help businesses of all sizes connect with consumers in multiple ways. Now, that approach is poised for a boost through a deal for Genesys to buy out competitor Interactive Intelligence for $1.4 billion. The agreement follows a month of speculation about the future of Indianapolis-based Interactive Intelligence … Continue reading “Genesys Dials Up $1.4B for Interactive Intelligence in Call Centers”
The Speak Easy Wants to Help Startups Engage with Wider Ecosystem
As startup fever continues to make inroads to Middle America, a number of entities have popped up to help nurture Indiana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, including accelerators, angel investors, and co-working spaces. The nonprofit Speak Easy in Indianapolis has elements of all of those things, but it mostly wants to be the place where startup founders can … Continue reading “The Speak Easy Wants to Help Startups Engage with Wider Ecosystem”
Four Ways to Stay Safe While Using Public Wi-Fi
No matter how hard we try to unplug on vacation, most of us simply don’t—or can’t—disconnect. The availability of free Wi-Fi is sometimes too hard to resist. While we’re in a carefree state of mind, it’s especially easy to bend the rules. Even when using Wi-Fi at a familiar business, you could be putting your … Continue reading “Four Ways to Stay Safe While Using Public Wi-Fi”
Angie’s List Looks to Grow Home Services Marketplace in New Tech Era
When Angie’s List got its start 21 years ago, it was anything but a tech company. Back then the consumer ratings service was exactly what its name implied: a hard-copy list of home contractors who were recommended by their customers. It didn’t even have a website until 1999, and the first iteration was nothing more … Continue reading “Angie’s List Looks to Grow Home Services Marketplace in New Tech Era”
Leap Therapeutics Seeks Public Markets With Macrocure Merger
Leap Therapeutics, a biotech with a couple of early stage monoclonal antibodies targeting cancer, is merging with an Israeli company trading on the Nasdaq in hopes of being able to take Leap shares to the public market. Cambridge, MA-based Leap will combine with Israel-based Macrocure (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MCUR]]) in a deal known as a reverse merger—a … Continue reading “Leap Therapeutics Seeks Public Markets With Macrocure Merger”
The XX Factor: Fixing Biotech’s Gender Imbalance in the C-Suite
Women continue to be vastly under-represented in management and executive-level positions throughout the life science industry—an inequity that came into the spotlight earlier this year when a biotech consulting firm hired female models to improve the male-female ratio at its convention after-party. The catalyzing event sparked a much-needed debate into a serious challenge that has … Continue reading “The XX Factor: Fixing Biotech’s Gender Imbalance in the C-Suite”
Denise Pierce on Growth in Indiana’s Life Sciences Industry
Denise K. Pierce is an anomaly. We’ve heard a lot of platitudes lately from the tech industry about increasing diversity in STEM-related fields, but, to Pierce, inclusion is more than just an abstract idea. She runs an Indiana-based firm called DK Pierce (DKP) that helps biopharmaceutical and life sciences companies across the country find their … Continue reading “Denise Pierce on Growth in Indiana’s Life Sciences Industry”
Bio Roundup: Mylan’s Shock, Hillary’s 3%, Duchenne Lessons & More
It was the tweet heard around the biotech world, again. Mylan bumped up the price of the EpiPen 400 percent, presidential nominee Hillary Clinton responded with a tirade against drug price hikes, and—much like when Clinton railed against drug pricing last year—biotech indexes promptly plummeted more than 3 percent. Last year, Clinton’s target was Martin … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Mylan’s Shock, Hillary’s 3%, Duchenne Lessons & More”
Duchenne Lessons: Advocates For Rare Spinal Disease Have Eyes on FDA
[Updated, 1:09 pm ET, see below] Heather and Jessica Tomko will tell you that they’re nothing alike. They’ve got different interests, different tastes in movies, television, and music. If Jessica hates a gift, Heather probably loves it. Heather just scored tickets to see the Broadway show Hamilton and can’t wait. Jessica sighs. “You can’t get … Continue reading “Duchenne Lessons: Advocates For Rare Spinal Disease Have Eyes on FDA”
Who’s to Blame for Inflated Health Insurance Costs?
How often would you go to the doctor if you had to pay for a big chunk out of pocket—or how about if it was completely free? The amount of health care we consume depends on how good our health insurance is. Now, two economists, David Powell and Dana Goldman, have looked at what factors … Continue reading “Who’s to Blame for Inflated Health Insurance Costs?”
In Wake Of Infamous Biotech Party, 20 Women Join New Exec Training
[Updated 8/24/16, 1 a.m. See below.] A new program to prepare high-ranking women in the biotech industry for corporate board seats has unveiled its first class of 20. In other circumstances the five-day workshop, scheduled this fall at George Washington University in the nation’s capital, might go unnoticed among the sea of executive training programs … Continue reading “In Wake Of Infamous Biotech Party, 20 Women Join New Exec Training”
IU Health Service Center Expected to Improve Patient Care Statewide
Indiana University Health, the largest healthcare system in the state, broke ground earlier this month on an integrated service center that will make it the first hospital system in the U.S. to oversee its own supply chain, complete with a robotic “picker” to gather the medical and surgical supplies requested by doctors around the network. … Continue reading “IU Health Service Center Expected to Improve Patient Care Statewide”
Why Resilient Teams Are More Important Than Big Ideas
How important is having a “big idea” for startups? Ideas can generate a lot of buzz and capture attention from investors and potential customers, but long-term success really depends on the capabilities of the team. It’s often said that investors typically look for an “A” team with a “B” idea rather than a “B” team … Continue reading “Why Resilient Teams Are More Important Than Big Ideas”
How a War on Climate Change Could Restore Economic Growth in America
What’s the biggest, scariest threat facing the United States right now? I know for sure that it’s not immigration, free trade, or “radical Islamic terrorism.” And I’m going to resist the easy answer that it’s Donald Trump. But I have a hard time deciding which of these two very real challenges is more urgent: a) … Continue reading “How a War on Climate Change Could Restore Economic Growth in America”
Intelligence + Maturity = Better Leaders
There are plenty of smart executives in the world, but they often make poor leaders. That’s because it takes both intelligence and maturity to excel at leadership. And when I say maturity, I don’t necessarily mean age, although generally more life experience is helpful. Maturity is the ability to manage oneself in challenging situations and to … Continue reading “Intelligence + Maturity = Better Leaders”
Bio Roundup: FDA Says No, PCSK9 Value Fight, CRISPR Intrigue & More
When the Olympics roll around, many watchers get into a sport they previously hadn’t thought much about. This time for me, it’s volleyball. The men’s and women’s games, both indoor and beach versions, are fast, aggressive, with lightning-quick adjustments and subtle teamwork required every time a ball is dug out and popped in the air. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: FDA Says No, PCSK9 Value Fight, CRISPR Intrigue & More”
Indy Idea Hub’s Three-Month Hackathon Will Help Modernize Government
It’s no secret that government entities and municipalities generate reams of data but often struggle when it comes to sharing all that information with the public in an easily digestible fashion. Matthew Kirby said that’s sometimes an even bigger problem for post-industrial cities like Indianapolis that are trying to rebrand as exciting, tech-enabled communities for … Continue reading “Indy Idea Hub’s Three-Month Hackathon Will Help Modernize Government”
SmartFile Garners $1,100,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=efdde918-1e66-414e-a0f8-a0f5be028b0f Date 8/19/2016 Company Name SmartFile Mailing Address 212 West 10th Street Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA Company Description SmartFile gives you a wide variety of features to help enforce compliance and information governance. Whether it is exporting activity records and reports around files and users or bolting SmartFile onto your storage to … Continue reading “SmartFile Garners $1,100,000 New Financing”
SmartFile’s File Management Software Lands $1.1M Investment
SmartFile aims to raise its profile in a crowded market of document management software offerings and it now has $1.1 million in new capital to help. The Indianapolis-based company says VisionTech Angels, which describes itself as Indiana’s largest angel investment group, led the investment in SmartFile. The funding also included participation from Elevate Ventures. SmartFile … Continue reading “SmartFile’s File Management Software Lands $1.1M Investment”
Pharma’s Productivity Problem: Finding More Blockbuster Drugs
A recent Wall Street Journal article that raised the possibility of Biogen as the target of another huge pharma buyout cited the lack of productivity as a major driver of M&A in the pharmaceutical industry. The authors made the point that, given the size of companies today, a single garden-variety blockbuster hardly moves the needle. … Continue reading “Pharma’s Productivity Problem: Finding More Blockbuster Drugs”
Doxly Aims to Help Lawyers Manage Transactions Via the Cloud
In 2012, Haley Altman was a rising star at Indianapolis law firm Ice Miller and one of its youngest partners when a frustrating session at the office awakened her inner entrepreneur. It was late one night, when she was working feverishly in her office surrounded by unending stacks of paper, that the idea for her … Continue reading “Doxly Aims to Help Lawyers Manage Transactions Via the Cloud”
Bio Roundup: Precision Med and Google, Heron, Lilly, Sarepta & More
The wait continues. An FDA ruling on a Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug from Sarepta Therapeutics—which could be the first ever approved for the disease—has been imminent for a while now, yet Labor Day is fast approaching and still the saga drags on. Speculation abounds, from analysts and pundits, each giving different opinions as to whether … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Precision Med and Google, Heron, Lilly, Sarepta & More”
Zurex Pharma’s Antimicrobial Attracts $6.2M for Clinical Trial
Zurex Pharma, which is developing antimicrobial products for healthcare-associated infections, has raised more than $6.2 million in equity funding, according to a regulatory filing that was made public on Thursday. In a press release, Middleton, WI-based Zurex said the money is an “initial close of a Series C financing,” and will be used in part … Continue reading “Zurex Pharma’s Antimicrobial Attracts $6.2M for Clinical Trial”
Productivity in Your Pocket
The app that you use is the one in your pocket. Today, larger mobile screens and touch interfaces are allowing people to do real work—not just e-mail—with the computer they have, wherever they are. It started with the Blackberry in the early 2000s. Like a dream, or a nightmare, e-mail—which is still the go-to work … Continue reading “Productivity in Your Pocket”
Rose-Hulman Ventures Boosts Indiana Startups With Student R&D Teams
[Editor’s note: This story is part of a series examining tech transfer and innovation initiatives at Indiana colleges and universities.] A temperature-controlled, pressurized dispenser of liquid chocolate; a WiFi-enabled garbage bin that sends electronic alerts when it needs emptying; a medical tool that helps guide placement of other equipment during brain surgery. Those items are … Continue reading “Rose-Hulman Ventures Boosts Indiana Startups With Student R&D Teams”
As U.S. Looks to Launch Precision Health Study, Google’s Role Emerges
The U.S. government has ambitious plans for a long-term health study with one million Americans, and one of the world’s most powerful tech companies has a big part to play, including the storage of all the data on its “cloud” servers. Google’s parent company Alphabet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOG]]) and its wholly owned biotech R&D group, Verily … Continue reading “As U.S. Looks to Launch Precision Health Study, Google’s Role Emerges”
Comcast, VCs Pour $56M Into Virtual-Assistant Firm Interactions
Here’s an interesting trend worth watching: investors are pumping money into a variety of technologies aimed at improving businesses’ customer service operations. It’s not the sexiest of industries, perhaps, but we’ll all be thankful if these bets help smooth out what’s typically a frustrating and time-consuming experience for consumers. What’s even more compelling is the … Continue reading “Comcast, VCs Pour $56M Into Virtual-Assistant Firm Interactions”
How Will Apple Innovate Beyond the iPhone 7? With Next-Gen Siri
Apple’s iPhone 7 is due out next month. According to the Wall Street Journal, PFWTMs (“people familiar with the matter”) say the new device will look pretty much the same as the iPhone 6s. The biggest change: no more headphone plug. Customers who want to listen to music or podcasts on their iPhones will need … Continue reading “How Will Apple Innovate Beyond the iPhone 7? With Next-Gen Siri”
Analysis: With a Tight Smile, Trump Details Economic Plan in Detroit
I wasn’t sure what to expect when Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running-mate, Indiana governor Mike Pence, were the featured speakers at a Detroit Economic Club luncheon today. Trump has spent most of the summer lurching from one controversy to another, but in Detroit, he appeared to be well-coached and almost singularly focused … Continue reading “Analysis: With a Tight Smile, Trump Details Economic Plan in Detroit”
Untethered Summit to Look at Managing the BYOD Landscape
A few years ago, the hottest trend in workplace innovation was Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), which called for large corporations to allow employees to use their personal smartphones, computers, and other devices at work as a way to open up innovation and collaboration. Companies are unable to prevent employees from bringing their devices to … Continue reading “Untethered Summit to Look at Managing the BYOD Landscape”
Biotech Roundup: Biogen Rumors, Theranos, Electro-Drugs & More
Biogen was once again all over the biotech newswire this week. First came a positive surprise; data that could set the stage for the first-ever drug approved for spinal muscular atrophy, a rare and debilitating muscle disease. Then came the rumor mill: Companies may or may not be approaching Biogen about a sale, and Biogen … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Biogen Rumors, Theranos, Electro-Drugs & More”
Why Teenagers Make Great Entrepreneurs
What is the ideal age to start a company? It’s a question that often circulates in the business press and on tech blogs. Entrepreneurs and venture capitalists have weighed in from time to time and their answers tend to fall into two camps. The first group advocates for the 20s as the optimal time. That’s … Continue reading “Why Teenagers Make Great Entrepreneurs”
FanDuel, DraftKings Return to NY as Fantasy Sports Laws Proliferate
The future of the online daily fantasy sports industry seemed in jeopardy toward the end of last year, after an insider trading-like scandal prompted intense scrutiny and triggered efforts nationwide to regulate or even shut down the companies in some states, like New York. What a difference a few months make. New York Gov. Andrew … Continue reading “FanDuel, DraftKings Return to NY as Fantasy Sports Laws Proliferate”
Pawn Shops Finally Go Digital, Helping Underbanked Find Quick Cash
In May and June, the financial industries that serve low-income Americans began to change in big ways. First, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed new rules for payday lenders. The first banned lenders from withdrawing money directly from their customers’ bank accounts, while the second restricted their ability to lend by imposing credit limits. Then … Continue reading “Pawn Shops Finally Go Digital, Helping Underbanked Find Quick Cash”
Look Beyond Football to Fight Concussions
The New York Times reported last week that the NFL and USA Football had publicized inaccurate statistics about the efficacy of a training program called Heads Up Football in preventing concussions in youth football players. Officials at USA Football had to concede that they did not review the data from the study carefully and did not … Continue reading “Look Beyond Football to Fight Concussions”
Delphi’s Autonomous Vehicle Pilot to Test Mobility On-Demand in Singapore
Delphi Automotive is leading a new driverless car pilot project with the Singapore Land Transport Authority; the goal of the project is to advance autonomous vehicle technology and open new markets to the tier-one auto supplier. According to a Delphi press release, the U.K.-based supplier with operations across the United States will provide a fleet … Continue reading “Delphi’s Autonomous Vehicle Pilot to Test Mobility On-Demand in Singapore”