After the adhesive products maker Avery Dennison (NYSE: [[ticker:AVY]]) recently made a $3 million investment in San Diego-based Wrapify, we tracked down Wrapify CEO James Heller, and stuck him with a few questions about the deal. Heller founded Wrapify in early 2015 with the idea of creating a business that would pay motorists to wrap … Continue reading “Wrapify Q&A: Adhesive Giant Puts $3M in Car Advertising Schtick”
Category: National
Scanalytics Receives Loan From WEDC, Eyes Series A Later This Year
Scanalytics, a Milwaukee-based startup that creates hardware and software to help customers track the movement of people through physical spaces, says it has received a $200,000 loan from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. The loan, which WEDC provided under its Technology Development Loan Program, is part of a $1 million-plus funding round that Scanalytics recently … Continue reading “Scanalytics Receives Loan From WEDC, Eyes Series A Later This Year”
Seattle Week in Review: Budget Cuts, Health IT, Alexa on iOS & More
It was a full week with Pi Day, the Ides of March, and St. Patrick’s Day. Tech was busy, too. We’re reviewing the potential impact of the Trump administration’s proposed budget; a Boeing executive tapped for deputy defense secretary; healthcare IT doings at Accolade and Limeade; PACCAR’s work on self-driving trucks with Nvidia; Alexa’s move … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Budget Cuts, Health IT, Alexa on iOS & More”
MD Anderson’s Hicks Named Interim President After DePinho Resignation
[Updated 3/17/17 5:32 pm. See below.] Houston—The University of Texas System has named Marshall Hicks the interim president of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, according to a memo to employees obtained by Xconomy. Hicks, whose appointment is official March 21, replaces Ronald DePinho, who resigned earlier this month. [Updated with comment from MD Anderson.] MD Anderson said … Continue reading “MD Anderson’s Hicks Named Interim President After DePinho Resignation”
Talking Driverless Cars, March Madness on Stocks and Jocks Radio
I hit the airwaves Friday morning to talk venture capital, startups, self-driving cars, and March Madness. Stocks and Jocks, a Chicago-based weekday business and sports talk radio program, invited me on the show to share my thoughts on some of the latest trends in the startup world. Hosts Tom Haugh and Kathy Dervin bantered with … Continue reading “Talking Driverless Cars, March Madness on Stocks and Jocks Radio”
Five Questions For … San Antonio Entrepreneur & Investor Morris Miller
San Antonio—Entrepreneurship has been a constant theme in Morris Miller’s life. That arc stretches from his grandparents’ businesses in key cutting and dry goods to Miller’s success as a co-founder of San Antonio cloud computing giant Rackspace, which sold to New York private equity firm Apollo Global Management for $4.3 billion. Along the way, he … Continue reading “Five Questions For … San Antonio Entrepreneur & Investor Morris Miller”
With New Data, Amgen Promises Refund If Cholesterol Drug Doesn’t Work
Stung by slow sales of its next-generation anti-cholesterol drug, Amgen hopes new clinical data, released this morning, will spur doctors to boost prescriptions and—perhaps more important—drive insurers to loosen their restrictions. The data, from a massive study of more than 27,000 patients, come at a time when drug and healthcare prices are a top U.S. … Continue reading “With New Data, Amgen Promises Refund If Cholesterol Drug Doesn’t Work”
Bio Roundup: Trump Budget, FDA Chief, CAR-T Qs, CRISPR Cash, & More
If it wasn’t clear that the Trump administration disdained most types of scientific inquiry and practice, the White House’s proposed budget drove the point home. The top-line figures: a nearly 20 percent cut in the National Institutes of Health, and a 30 percent cut in the Environmental Protection Agency. These and other cuts to programs … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Trump Budget, FDA Chief, CAR-T Qs, CRISPR Cash, & More”
Doing “Defense the Silicon Valley Way” Pays for Daylight Solutions
Startups that develop advanced military technologies often never come to light. But San Diego’s Daylight Solutions has managed to openly thrive in two very different markets. The company has advanced its specialized solid-state laser technology for customers in both the defense industry and commercial sector. Paul Larson, who co-founded Daylight Solutions with CEO Tim Day … Continue reading “Doing “Defense the Silicon Valley Way” Pays for Daylight Solutions”
Tech in the Trump Era: Regulating Privacy, Immigration, Ethics
Austin—From personal privacy to managing the technology that one day could take our jobs, finding the right approach to regulating technology is a more prominent subject now than seemingly ever, especially given the steady stream of proposals being pushed by the new White House administration. Those speaking at South by Southwest over the last week … Continue reading “Tech in the Trump Era: Regulating Privacy, Immigration, Ethics”
Facing ‘Headwinds,’ Connecture Raises Another $17.5M From PE Firms
The uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act and the private, state, and federal health insurance marketplaces launched following the law’s passage has created “market headwinds” for the Brookfield, WI-based software developer Connecture, the company’s CEO said earlier this week. Connecture (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CNXR]]), which sells Web-based software designed to aid consumers shopping for health plans, reported … Continue reading “Facing ‘Headwinds,’ Connecture Raises Another $17.5M From PE Firms”
Machine Learning 201: Exploring the Market for New Business
2016 will be remembered for many things, not least as the year that AI and machine learning stepped into the technological and cultural spotlight. Advances in applied machine learning fueled our enthusiasm for smarter, more talkative devices. It impacted how we learned about and processed the news—and fake news—of the national elections. Automation grew in … Continue reading “Machine Learning 201: Exploring the Market for New Business”
For $140M, PTC Gets Duchenne Drug and a Pricing Controversy from Marathon
PTC Therapeutics has acquired a controversial Marathon Pharmaceuticals drug for the rare disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy for approximately $140 million, potentially placing the South Plainfield, NJ, company squarely in the crosshairs of the national drug pricing debate. PTC (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PTCT]]), whose own Duchenne drug is conditionally approved in the Europe but not in the U.S., … Continue reading “For $140M, PTC Gets Duchenne Drug and a Pricing Controversy from Marathon”
Sigstr Aims to Unlock the Marketing Potential of E-mail Signatures
Bryan Wade, the new CEO of Indianapolis-based startup Sigstr, says e-mail is the next great marketing frontier. This insight comes after having spent more than a decade as a digital marketer, including a stint serving as the chief product officer for Salesforce Marketing Cloud just before taking the reins at Sigstr. The average business, he … Continue reading “Sigstr Aims to Unlock the Marketing Potential of E-mail Signatures”
Proteon Therapeutics Plans Path Forward for Blood Vessel Drug
Three months ago, Proteon Therapeutics’ experimental blood vessel drug for people with failing kidneys flunked a Phase 3 clinical trial. The company now hopes that a larger study with a modified goal can produce different results. The Proteon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PRTO]]) drug, vonapanitase, treats people whose chronic kidney disease has progressed to the point that they … Continue reading “Proteon Therapeutics Plans Path Forward for Blood Vessel Drug”
Insurify Gets $4.6M, Adds Insurance Search Bot on Facebook Messenger
[Updated 3/16/17, 9:44 a.m. See below.] Facebook Messenger is no longer just an app for messaging friends. The latest capability? It’s now a personal assistant for car insurance shopping. Thanks to a new product launched today by Insurify, a Cambridge, MA-based software startup, consumers can quickly compare car insurance quotes from dozens of carriers within … Continue reading “Insurify Gets $4.6M, Adds Insurance Search Bot on Facebook Messenger”
With FDA’s Blessing, Seres Preps New “Pivotal” Microbiome Drug Trial
Seres Therapeutics wants to become the first company to bring to market a drug that targets the microbiome, the delicate balance of microbes colonizing the human body. The failure of its lead drug in a clinical trial last year put those aspirations in doubt. Now the Cambridge, MA, drug developer is getting another shot. Seres … Continue reading “With FDA’s Blessing, Seres Preps New “Pivotal” Microbiome Drug Trial”
CRISPR Organs? eGenesis Raises $38M For Pig-To-Human Transplants
One of the companies trying to revive the once-failed notion of xenotransplantation—transplanting animal organs or tissues into humans—has raised a significant round of cash. The $38 million Series A round announced by Cambridge, MA-based firm eGenesis comes as the field of human-compatible organs grown in animals, while still years from real products, is back in … Continue reading “CRISPR Organs? eGenesis Raises $38M For Pig-To-Human Transplants”
Detroit’s HAAS Alert Links Motorists to 911 Responders, Smart Cities
HAAS Alert, the Techstars Mobility alum with offices in Detroit and Chicago, is one of three startups spending the first six months of 2017 at the Jaguar Land Rover Tech Incubator in Portland, OR. HAAS Alert has been working on a mobile platform for connected cars and smart cities that allows first responders and other … Continue reading “Detroit’s HAAS Alert Links Motorists to 911 Responders, Smart Cities”
Lumanu, Doyenne Group, Intellivisit & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Keep up with the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Lumanu, a Milwaukee-based developer of marketing software that helps customers identify social media users to serve as “influencers” for their brands, was the subject of a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel profile. The startup, which was part of the most recent class to … Continue reading “Lumanu, Doyenne Group, Intellivisit & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Gender at South By Southwest: Harassment, VC Jobs, & Hard Choices
[Angela Shah contributed to this report.] Austin—If there was a common theme among the gender-focused panels at South by Southwest, it might be the disbelief that we still need to discuss the importance of having women in tech. But considering the current occupant of the Oval Office, popular ride-sharing companies that back supervisors accused of … Continue reading “Gender at South By Southwest: Harassment, VC Jobs, & Hard Choices”
Myomo, a Robotic Arm Brace Maker, Aims to Raise $15M in “Mini-IPO”
Myomo, a privately held medical device company spun out of MIT, has launched an unusually structured public offering of stock aimed at raising up to $15 million and getting the company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Cambridge, MA-based Myomo is taking advantage of a change in federal securities law enacted through the Jumpstart … Continue reading “Myomo, a Robotic Arm Brace Maker, Aims to Raise $15M in “Mini-IPO””
“Blue Squad” to Use Tech Tools to Help Progressive Candidates
Austin—For Shion Deysarkar, founder and CEO of Web analytics startup Datafiniti, last fall’s presidential election was a wake-up call. “The election was a very sobering event,” he says. “I think most progressive people had just assumed that we had turned the corner on a lot of issues in America. The election proved we were severely … Continue reading ““Blue Squad” to Use Tech Tools to Help Progressive Candidates”
Tax Reform and Choice of Business Entity
Choice of entity—how an entrepreneur decides to conduct the business—is a key decision with critical tax and non-tax implications. In the coming months, the White House is expected to release a detailed tax reform plan which, among other things, may include a significant reduction in corporate tax rates. If the anticipated changes are adopted, should … Continue reading “Tax Reform and Choice of Business Entity”
Former Gates Investor, Advisor Unveil $200M Biomatics Health Fund
After years of investing Bill Gates’s money and giving him scientific advice, two of the software billionaire’s associates have launched their own $200 million healthcare fund. Some of biotech’s highest-profile bets are already in their portfolio. Based in Seattle, Biomatics Capital Partners has been an open secret for some time thanks to its own regulatory … Continue reading “Former Gates Investor, Advisor Unveil $200M Biomatics Health Fund”
Human Longevity Offers Genome Sequencing Through MassMutual
Human Longevity Inc., founded in 2014 by the gene pioneer J. Craig Venter to create a database for interpreting the human genome (and to make healthcare more proactive instead of reactive) said it has signed a partnership deal with MassMutual. Beginning today, San Diego-based Human Longevity plans to offer its whole genome sequencing service to … Continue reading “Human Longevity Offers Genome Sequencing Through MassMutual”
Did Milwaukee-Based Startups Really Raise $111 Million in 2016?
According to data compiled by PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association, two groups that monitor investment trends, startups based in the Milwaukee area collectively raised about $44.6 million in 2016. That was up from 2015, when PitchBook and NVCA data show the region’s funding total was about $28.1 million. Many members of the Milwaukee area’s … Continue reading “Did Milwaukee-Based Startups Really Raise $111 Million in 2016?”
Visit the Titanic in OceanGate’s Carbon Fiber Sub: Only $105,129
OceanGate’s deep-diving carbon fiber submersible, now under construction, is designed to carry the company’s intrepid, well-heeled clientele to a one-of-a-kind destination beginning next spring: the Titanic. Stockton Rush, CEO of Everett, WA-based OceanGate, announced the expedition Tuesday, and said the 2018 dives—which would be the first manned expedition to the Titanic since 2005—have already sold … Continue reading “Visit the Titanic in OceanGate’s Carbon Fiber Sub: Only $105,129”
Invenra Adds Partners, Still Open to Developing Own Drugs in Future
In the past three months, Invenra has announced two new partnerships, under which the company will provide therapeutic antibodies to its collaborators. Madison, WI-based Invenra is one of a small number of companies that has traditionally used cell-free protein expression technology to identify therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. This approach sets Invenra apart from the more popular … Continue reading “Invenra Adds Partners, Still Open to Developing Own Drugs in Future”
Airlines Must Improve IT Infrastructure Now or Pay Later
At the tail end of this past holiday season—on one of the busiest travel days of the year—thousands of arriving international passengers found themselves stuck for hours in the line at customs, waiting to be processed. It wasn’t a terror alert, mechanical failure, or nefarious cyberattack that caused long lines and huge delays for travelers … Continue reading “Airlines Must Improve IT Infrastructure Now or Pay Later “
Robo Madness 2017— A.I. Gets Real: Early Bot Rate Ends Today!
Grab your ticket to attend Xconomy’s third annual robotics event at Google, which was a total sellout last year. Leaders in robotics and artificial intelligence will discuss the opportunities and challenges, emerging technologies, and new business models in the industry. Join us on March 28 at Google’s office in Cambridge, MA, to take a look … Continue reading “Robo Madness 2017— A.I. Gets Real: Early Bot Rate Ends Today!”
First Trial in Sight, Editas Cuts $90M Eye Drug Deal With Allergan
Slowly but surely, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing treatments are working their way towards human clinical testing, spurring more large pharmaceutical companies to get in on their future. The latest today is Allergan, which has just aligned itself with Editas Medicine on treatments for a group of genetic eye diseases. Allergan (NYSE: [[ticker:AGN]]) will pay Cambridge, MA-based … Continue reading “First Trial in Sight, Editas Cuts $90M Eye Drug Deal With Allergan”
Boston Tech Watch: Harmonix, Whoop, Brand Networks, VentureApp & More
[Updated 3/14/17, 4:09 p.m. See below.] Since you might be snowed in today, it seems like a good time to hunker down with some recent Boston-area tech news. Here is the latest: —Evolv Technology, a Waltham, MA-based security technology startup, has closed an $18 million Series B funding round from Lux Capital, Bill Gates, General … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Harmonix, Whoop, Brand Networks, VentureApp & More”
Biden’s Comments on Challenges in Cancer Care Highlight SXSW Talk
Austin—Technologists need to develop the interstate highway system for healthcare. That was one of the themes at the South By Southwest Interactive conference Sunday, in comments made by doctors, investors, entrepreneurs, and the former vice president of the United States. “I can take my cell phone and find out movie times, or track a check … Continue reading “Biden’s Comments on Challenges in Cancer Care Highlight SXSW Talk”
ClearObject Expects New Collaborative Opportunities at Fishers IoT Lab
Last month, CloudOne, the Fishers, IN-based startup focused on building, operating, and integrating cloud-based technologies, changed its name to ClearObject. John McDonald, ClearObject CEO, says the new name reflects the company’s evolution beyond cloud provider to “Internet of Things innovator”—an evolution further solidified by ClearObject’s decision to be the founding member of a new IoT … Continue reading “ClearObject Expects New Collaborative Opportunities at Fishers IoT Lab”
Visible Measures Sold to AcuityAds for $10M in Video Adtech
One of Boston’s biggest bets in advertising tech has been acquired for a fraction of what investors pumped into it. Visible Measures, a video analytics company, is getting scooped up by Toronto, Canada-based AcuityAds for $10 million in cash. The deal is expected to close around the end of March. Visible Measures was founded in … Continue reading “Visible Measures Sold to AcuityAds for $10M in Video Adtech”
Possible Cures. Mystery Deaths. Daunting Costs. Can CAR-T Be Tamed?
It’s a struggle that comic-book fans know well. Ordinary people, bestowed with super powers from a spider bite or gamma rays, struggle to harness their own abilities. T cells, key soldiers of the immune system, are wrestling with new-found super powers, too. Certain T cells hunt down invasive viruses, bacteria, and the body’s own bad … Continue reading “Possible Cures. Mystery Deaths. Daunting Costs. Can CAR-T Be Tamed?”
The Dot Targets Millennial Women with Monthly “Party Box” for Periods
It was a great boyfriend—a candidate for Guy of the Year and definitely husband material, in this reporter’s estimation—who inspired a new startup based in Grand Rapids, MI, called The Dot. Every month during college, when founder and CEO Anais Felt got her period, her boyfriend at the time would show up with a box … Continue reading “The Dot Targets Millennial Women with Monthly “Party Box” for Periods”
Seattle Week in Review: A Renaissance Man for Computing’s Golden Age
The Stranger called Paul Allen “Our Modern Medici,” which is a pretty apt description of the billionaire philanthropist-entrepreneur. Allen’s beneficence has helped the University of Washington grow a world-class computer science department—and now it has become a school named in his honor. Read on for a dispatch from the UW celebration Thursday, as well as a … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: A Renaissance Man for Computing’s Golden Age”
WARF, Cellectar Expand Licensing Agreement For Blood Cancer Drug
The organization that manages patents and licensing of intellectual property for the University of Wisconsin-Madison has expanded a licensing agreement with Cellectar Biosciences, a developer of cancer drugs, the company said earlier this week. The agreement, between the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and Madison, WI-based Cellectar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CLRB]]), covers the use of the company’s … Continue reading “WARF, Cellectar Expand Licensing Agreement For Blood Cancer Drug”
Scott Gottlieb On Tap to Lead FDA, and Biopharma Exhales
[Updated 3/12/17 with more comments, see below] The Trump administration has nominated Scott Gottlieb to be the new commissioner of the FDA, a selection that had the life sciences industry breathing a sigh of relief Friday afternoon. The 44-year-old Gottlieb is a physician, a venture partner at New Enterprise Associates, and was also the deputy … Continue reading “Scott Gottlieb On Tap to Lead FDA, and Biopharma Exhales”
Tocagen Plans IPO to Finance Trials of Gene Therapy in Brain Cancer
[Corrected 3/10/17, 3:27 pm. See below] Gene therapy developer Tocagen is preparing an initial public stock offering to finance clinical trials of its experimental treatment for a form of brain cancer. The San Diego-based biotech filed the paperwork Thursday for an IPO that could raise up to $86 million—a figure likely to change as the … Continue reading “Tocagen Plans IPO to Finance Trials of Gene Therapy in Brain Cancer”
Five Questions For … SXSW Chief Programming Officer Hugh Forrest
Austin—When Hugh Forrest joined SXSW in 1994, fewer than 4,300 attended the little-known music festival. That was the year that two new “events”—Interactive and Film—were introduced to the mix, with the first keynote being given by a tech executive: Richard Garriott, then the founder of Origin Systems, and now known as a video gaming pioneer … Continue reading “Five Questions For … SXSW Chief Programming Officer Hugh Forrest”
Biotech Roundup: Obamacare Lite, DePinho Out, Dunsire In & More
We’ll start the roundup in Washington DC. The repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, began on the first day of the Trump administration. This week, the “replace” phase began with a Republican plan championed by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI). President Trump backed it, too, but a lot of Republicans have … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Obamacare Lite, DePinho Out, Dunsire In & More”
Veering Off Topic With General Catalyst’s Larry Bohn
Larry Bohn is victim number 10 in my ongoing series of offbeat chats with Boston-area tech leaders. Bohn is a managing director of venture capital firm General Catalyst Partners, which he joined almost 15 years ago after running two software companies that he took public. Bohn invests in business software startups, mainly in e-commerce and … Continue reading “Veering Off Topic With General Catalyst’s Larry Bohn”
UW Receives $50M Endowment, Names Computer Science School for Allen
The celebration marking 50 years of computer science education at the University of Washington went from a birthday party to a rechristening Thursday with the announcement of a $50 million endowment from Paul Allen and Microsoft. The UW Board of Regents elevated the university’s computer science department to the Paul G. Allen School of Computer … Continue reading “UW Receives $50M Endowment, Names Computer Science School for Allen”
BioAffinity Secures $150K Investment from San Antonio-Run Biz Group
San Antonio — An economic development organization run by the city of San Antonio is committing $150,000 to bioAffinity, betting that the young company can advance its technology and add more jobs. The company is developing a diagnostic agent that aims to literally highlight cancer cells in patients sputum—basically phlegm that’s coughed up from the … Continue reading “BioAffinity Secures $150K Investment from San Antonio-Run Biz Group”
DraftKings Nabs $100M While Awaiting FanDuel Merger Approval: Report
[Updated 3/17/17, 9:26 a.m. See below.] DraftKings has raised more than $100 million in a new funding round, according to a report from Bloomberg. The Boston-based online fantasy sports company confirmed to Xconomy that it closed a Series E1 funding round led by Eldridge Industries, but the e-mailed statement from DraftKings didn’t specify the size … Continue reading “DraftKings Nabs $100M While Awaiting FanDuel Merger Approval: Report”
On Heels of State’s $1B Commitment, Indiana Hails Startup Growth
Last July, former Gov. Mike Pence issued an executive order integrating the Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship into the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), with the goal of aligning and strengthening Indiana’s efforts to encourage the growth of startups and entrepreneurship. The order included a $1 billion investment over 10 years to help make the state … Continue reading “On Heels of State’s $1B Commitment, Indiana Hails Startup Growth”
Capital Factory Starts Mobility Accelerator with Daimler’s Moovel
Austin—Capital Factory is launching a new accelerator program with moovel North America, which is part of a company founded by Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler AG, for startups that have technology targeting the transportation sector. Called MobilityX and based at Capital Factory’s co-working space in Austin, TX, the accelerator aims to give Daimler input, connections, and potential … Continue reading “Capital Factory Starts Mobility Accelerator with Daimler’s Moovel”