During the turbulent election season we all recently endured, a big topic of conversation was trade—specifically how certain policies such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have harmed the domestic manufacturing sector and hollowed out the middle class. Among the many campaign promises made by President-elect Donald Trump was a pledge to renegotiate … Continue reading “M-CAM Seeks to Bolster Michigan’s Advanced Manufacturing Workforce”
Category: National
Harvard Spinout Magenta, Other Academics Race Toward Better Stem Cell Transplants
Stem cell transplants are risky business, and although their use to treat cancer and other blood-borne diseases has increased in recent years, they remain dangerous and in many cases a last resort. One startup using work from Harvard University wants to develop a suite of new techniques to make them safer and more widely available. … Continue reading “Harvard Spinout Magenta, Other Academics Race Toward Better Stem Cell Transplants”
Spark Nabs $1B, Uber Challenger Gets $10.5M, & More Boston VC News
November has been a busy month for venture funding news in the Boston area. Spark Capital has $1 billion more to make tech bets, investors pumped $10.5 million into a local Uber competitor, the much-hyped robot startup Jibo sucked in more money, and Web optimization firm Yottaa raised more funds and hired a new CEO. … Continue reading “Spark Nabs $1B, Uber Challenger Gets $10.5M, & More Boston VC News”
Spoiler Alert Eats $2.5M to Grow Online Surplus Food Marketplace
About 42 million Americans struggled with “food insecurity” last year, meaning they lacked access to quality food or went hungry at times. Meanwhile, an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the nation’s food supply goes to waste, costing farms and businesses billions of dollars each year. The leaders of Boston startup Spoiler Alert think software … Continue reading “Spoiler Alert Eats $2.5M to Grow Online Surplus Food Marketplace”
Roundup: Geekdom, Prytime Medical, Hangar, Houston Startup Week, & More
Let’s catch up with the latest news from Xconomy Texas. —San Antonio’s Geekdom Fund has raised $6.7 million for its new fund called Geekdom Fund II. According to a regulatory finding, the firm may raise as much as $15 million to invest on IT startups. Founded in 2014, the Geekdom Fund has focused mostly on … Continue reading “Roundup: Geekdom, Prytime Medical, Hangar, Houston Startup Week, & More”
Last Chance Special for What’s Hot in Boston Healthtech
Tomorrow, Xconomy is convening healthcare founders, executives, investors and entrepreneurs for an afternoon of interactive panels, live demos and keynote chats. A few topics we’ll cover include: precision medicine, synthetic biology, digital health, the future of primary care, and so much more. We’ll also be spicing up the program by raffling off a whole genome … Continue reading “Last Chance Special for What’s Hot in Boston Healthtech”
Led by Former Lilly Exec, Apexian Out to Tackle Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer’s standard of care includes a drug that does not help most people diagnosed with the disease. Gemcitabine (Gemzar) works in only about 10 percent of patients, says Steve Carchedi, CEO of Apexian Pharmaceuticals. Carchedi knows about gemcitabine’s limitations because he worked at Eli Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) when the FDA approved the Indianapolis-based company’s … Continue reading “Led by Former Lilly Exec, Apexian Out to Tackle Pancreatic Cancer”
With New Data, Medicines Co. Takes Long-Lasting Heart Drug to Phase 3
The Medicines Co. and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals released new data today supporting a potentially longer lasting alternative to the widely hyped wave of cholesterol-fighting drugs that hit the market in 2015. But it’ll take more clinical testing, and likely several years, before the drug’s potential and commercial viability are proven. Today at the American Heart Association’s … Continue reading “With New Data, Medicines Co. Takes Long-Lasting Heart Drug to Phase 3”
Obamacare’s Future Under Trump? Learn More at Xconomy Healthtech Event Thursday
After Donald Trump’s upset victory in the presidential election, one of the biggest questions is what will happen to the Affordable Care Act. It’s a hugely important topic for businesses, the healthcare industry, and, of course, the American people. That’s why Xconomy is working on organizing an informal discussion about the future of Obamacare at … Continue reading “Obamacare’s Future Under Trump? Learn More at Xconomy Healthtech Event Thursday”
Geekdom Fund Raising Up to $15M For Second Startup Investment Fund
San Antonio—Geekdom Fund, an early stage San Antonio venture capital firm focused on IT startups, has raised $6.7 million for a new fund, Geekdom Fund II. The firm may raise as much as $15 million, according to a regulatory filing. Founded in 2014 by Michael Girdley, Don Douglas, Mike Troy, and Cole Wollak, Geekdom Fund … Continue reading “Geekdom Fund Raising Up to $15M For Second Startup Investment Fund”
GE Digital’s $915M ServiceMax Deal Continues Equipment Software Push
It’s not the sexiest of tech products, but software that helps manage equipment maintenance is big business. The latest sign: GE Digital, the Boston-based industrial giant’s business focused on connected machines, is acquiring ServiceMax for $915 million. The Pleasanton, CA-based firm provides cloud-based software to direct the installation, maintenance, and repair of machines across a variety … Continue reading “GE Digital’s $915M ServiceMax Deal Continues Equipment Software Push”
The New Crowdfunding Rules: Will They Really Help Startups?
Hailed as the true democratizer of private investment, crowdfunding has been attracting both headlines and a fast-growing pile of cash. In May of 2016, rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission went into effect that will democratize the process even further. These new rules will open the doors to more investors, but they also pose … Continue reading “The New Crowdfunding Rules: Will They Really Help Startups?”
Boston Tech Hiring Cools, Despite More Expansion at Wayfair, Amazon
After more than a year of robust growth in payrolls at Boston-area software companies, local hiring cooled off in the third quarter. Boston digital-tech firms added just 250 net new jobs in the most recent quarter—a paltry 1.1 percent increase in the total number of digital-tech employees from the previous quarter. That’s according to the … Continue reading “Boston Tech Hiring Cools, Despite More Expansion at Wayfair, Amazon”
Struggling UniQure Cuts Gene Therapies, Jobs, in Big Restructuring
UniQure may have been the first company to win approval of a gene therapy, but that hasn’t translated to commercial success or a booming share price. Now it’s cutting jobs and restructuring to try to gain some momentum. Amsterdam- and Lexington, MA-based UniQure (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QURE]]) said this morning that it’s completed a strategic review, and … Continue reading “Struggling UniQure Cuts Gene Therapies, Jobs, in Big Restructuring”
Siemplify Scores $10M to Streamline Cybersecurity Operations
Siemplify, a cyber-threat management and analysis firm with outposts in both Tel Aviv, Israel, and New York City, announced a $10 million round of Series A financing Tuesday, continuing what has been a busy month for cybersecurity investments across the country. The new investment, led by 83North Venture Capital and G20 Ventures, brings Siemplify’s total … Continue reading “Siemplify Scores $10M to Streamline Cybersecurity Operations”
Logz.io Downloads $16M Round Led By OpenView, Opens Boston Office
Logz.io, an Israel-based data analytics and security startup, announced today it raised a $16 million Series B funding round and recently relocated its New York office to Boston. Boston-based OpenView Venture Partners led the funding round. Earlier investors 83North and Giza Venture Capital also chipped in. Logz.io, which is based in Tel Aviv, has raised … Continue reading “Logz.io Downloads $16M Round Led By OpenView, Opens Boston Office”
Prytime Medical Gets OK to Sell Anti-Hemorrhaging Device in Europe
San Antonio — [Updated 11/15/16, 4:15 p.m. See below.] Prytime Medical Devices, a Texas-based company with a medical device that’s used in trauma patients, has received approval to sell its lead product in Europe. Prytime, which is headquartered near San Antonio in Boerne, TX, sells a catheter that can be used in emergency and critical care situations … Continue reading “Prytime Medical Gets OK to Sell Anti-Hemorrhaging Device in Europe”
Inaugural Houston Startup Week Promotes Close-Knit Tech Community
Houston—Startup Week is a staple in many tech communities, a high-profile effort to both support fledgling entrepreneurs and highlight a city’s home-grown innovations. And now the country’s fourth largest city has joined their ranks. Houston held its first Startup Week last week, featuring events to teach founders marketing strategy, fundraising techniques, product development, and other … Continue reading “Inaugural Houston Startup Week Promotes Close-Knit Tech Community”
Fintech Startup Quantopian Gets $25M From Andreessen & Others
Quantopian, one of Boston’s up-and-coming financial technology startups, got a big endorsement today from a well-known Silicon Valley venture firm. Quantopian said it raised $25 million in a Series C funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. (Technically it was $25.6 million, per an SEC filing.) Other investors in the round include earlier backers Bessemer Venture … Continue reading “Fintech Startup Quantopian Gets $25M From Andreessen & Others”
Procrastinator’s Special Ending for What’s Hot in Boston Healthtech
We’re only a couple days away from “What’s Hot in Boston Healthtech,” and today is the last day to save $155 on your ticket with our Procrastinator’s Special. Xconomy will bring together an outstanding lineup of founders, executives, and investors on the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 17, at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard … Continue reading “Procrastinator’s Special Ending for What’s Hot in Boston Healthtech”
This Old Coffee Factory in San Antonio Might Upend Manufacturing
San Antonio—There’s an industrial factory about two miles southeast of downtown San Antonio that was built for a coffee company but, sometime after the 1970s, it became home to an HVAC business. That was lucky, the factory’s current owner says, because there’s at least one room in the 26,000-square-foot complex with air conditioning. That’s the … Continue reading “This Old Coffee Factory in San Antonio Might Upend Manufacturing”
Corbus Shares Climb on Early Data For Inflammation Drug
Shares of Corbus Pharmaceuticals skyrocketed this morning after the company said an experimental drug it’s been developing for a variety of autoimmune diseases succeeded in the first of several Phase 2 trials. Norwood, MA-based Corbus (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRBP]]) said the drug, resunab, helped improve the condition of patients with diffuse systemic sclerosis—a severe form of scleroderma, … Continue reading “Corbus Shares Climb on Early Data For Inflammation Drug”
Mimecast Gains Momentum Post-IPO, As E-mail Security Threats Surge
Mimecast went public a year ago in a tough IPO environment for tech companies. But the move seems to have worked out well for the e-mail management and security firm. Mimecast’s stock (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MIME]]) didn’t achieve the desired “pop” in price on its first day of trading, but over the past year it has more … Continue reading “Mimecast Gains Momentum Post-IPO, As E-mail Security Threats Surge”
PERQ Raises $1.7M Seed Round, Plans to Conquer New Verticals Next
The advertising world has changed a lot since 2001, thanks mostly to the advent of new marketing technologies and changes in the ways people interact with brands. Social media has fundamentally altered customer engagement—in 2001, we didn’t have Friendster, let alone Facebook—and many of the companies that thrive today have a deep understanding of digital … Continue reading “PERQ Raises $1.7M Seed Round, Plans to Conquer New Verticals Next”
Bio Roundup: Trump’s Triumph, Election Fallout, CRISPR Arguments & More
The presidential election ended with Donald Trump’s stunning victory and Republican retention of the House and Senate. Now, the U.S. healthcare sector will try to figure out what it all means. Drug company stocks got a boost with the defeat of Hillary Clinton, a vocal critic of drug prices. But Trump’s plans are unclear. Will … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Trump’s Triumph, Election Fallout, CRISPR Arguments & More”
Washington Scientists Forge Ahead Amid Uncertainty
The world is turned on its head, but there are still salmon to monitor as they navigate dams, crops to improve before climate change sets in, and energy grids to protect from cyber attackers. On Thursday evening, as protestors marched through downtown and helicopters hovered in the sky, scientists from Washington’s premiere public research institutions … Continue reading “Washington Scientists Forge Ahead Amid Uncertainty”
Trump Team Outlines Healthcare Agenda—No Mention of Drug Prices
The incoming Trump administration has posted an outline of its healthcare agenda on its transition website. There is no mention of drug pricing or what the administration might do about frequent price increases, such as Mylan’s EpiPen practice, that critics say are unsubstantiated and unethical. During the campaign, Trump’s official platform called for a change … Continue reading “Trump Team Outlines Healthcare Agenda—No Mention of Drug Prices”
Win A Whole Genome Sequence at What’s Hot in Boston Healthtech 11/17
We are getting really excited about our upcoming What’s Hot in Boston Healthtech event, which is set for next Thursday (Nov. 17) at the Broad Institute in Kendall Square. But now it has gotten even more exciting because we will be raffling off a whole genome sequence to one of our lucky attendees. The sequencing … Continue reading “Win A Whole Genome Sequence at What’s Hot in Boston Healthtech 11/17”
Dallas’ Take Command Health Wants to Make Health Plan Shopping Easier
Dallas—Now that we’ve made it through Election Day, let’s brace ourselves for Benefits Enrollment season. This month, many of us will dive into the sometimes difficult-to-understand world of co-payments, premiums, prescription drug plans, and the like as we renew our company-sponsored benefits package. For Americans who work for themselves, the purchasing a healthcare plan can … Continue reading “Dallas’ Take Command Health Wants to Make Health Plan Shopping Easier”
Missed a Live Virtual Reality Show? AltspaceVR Now Has Reruns
As virtual reality startups explore the creative range of the new medium and build out its functions, simple entertainments can yield some otherworldly possibilities. For example, AltspaceVR’s new playback feature makes it possible to sit at a comedy show next to—yourself. The background: AltspaceVR has been turning its virtual rooms into performance stages where real-life … Continue reading “Missed a Live Virtual Reality Show? AltspaceVR Now Has Reruns”
Quick, How Might the Alien Spacecraft Work?
[This post is about the movie “Arrival“; there are no movie spoilers here.] “It’s an interesting script,” said someone on our PR team. It’s pretty common for us to get requests from movie-makers about showing our graphics or posters or books in movies. But the request this time was different: could we urgently help make … Continue reading “Quick, How Might the Alien Spacecraft Work?”
Watson Health and Broad Institute Team Up for $50M Cancer Collaboration
IBM Watson Health has been inking some big partnerships lately. Today the Cambridge, MA-based division of Big Blue said it has formed a five-year, $50 million research collaboration with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. IBM is footing the whole bill and contributing other resources as well. The organizations are teaming up to study … Continue reading “Watson Health and Broad Institute Team Up for $50M Cancer Collaboration”
Grab Your Ticket for The State of Cybersecurity on Dec. 8th
Join Xconomy for its first-ever public cybersecurity event on December 8 at WGBH. With the growing number of cyber attacks, we decided to bring this issue front and center to discuss what business leaders and consumers can do to help secure their data and IT systems, what opportunities are out there for investors and executives, … Continue reading “Grab Your Ticket for The State of Cybersecurity on Dec. 8th”
HubSpot Vet Grabs Cash For Crayon to Help Marketers Track Competitors
These days, marketing teams can quickly access lots of nuanced data about their own companies’ sales and marketing operations, thanks to software from firms like Salesforce (NYSE: [[ticker:CRM]]) and HubSpot (NYSE: [[ticker:HUBS]]). But tracking the sales and marketing tactics of their competitors—pricing changes, new product launches, social media strategy, and so on—hasn’t been so easy. … Continue reading “HubSpot Vet Grabs Cash For Crayon to Help Marketers Track Competitors”
New U.S. “Roadmap” Lays Out Routes to Accelerate Robotic Technologies
Robotics technology is progressing faster than expected for self-driving cars, and drones are becoming ubiquitous throughout the United States, according to a lead scientist overseeing a robotics technology roadmap released last week. But robotics is moving slower than expected in some key areas, such as the development of dexterous gripper technology, intuitive user interfaces, and … Continue reading “New U.S. “Roadmap” Lays Out Routes to Accelerate Robotic Technologies”
Arrowhead Stock Falls After FDA Places Hold on Clinical Trial
Shares in Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals took a nosedive Wednesday after the FDA placed a hold on a phase 2 clinical trial of the company’s lead drug candidate, which is aimed at treating chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV). The company said in a press release Tuesday that the FDA has not sent any written communications to Arrowhead … Continue reading “Arrowhead Stock Falls After FDA Places Hold on Clinical Trial”
Genomenon, Brio Device Score $400K from U-M’s Biomedical Seed Fund
The University of Michigan’s Monroe-Brown Biomedical Seed Fund today announced inaugural investments in Genomenon and Brio Device, two biotech startups spun out of the university. Genomenon, a company developing diagnostics and discovery software to automate the organization of genomic sequencing data, received $250,000. Genomenon was a finalist at Detroit’s Google Demo Day pitch contest earlier … Continue reading “Genomenon, Brio Device Score $400K from U-M’s Biomedical Seed Fund”
Has Technology Made Election Polls More Accurate? Not Yet
Statistical models, simulations, social media outreach, and the capacity to analyze big data sets—you’d think by now that technology would have delivered election forecasts that more reliably predicted Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential race. But most pollsters—and the people who relied on them—were gobsmacked by Trump’s upset wins, not only in battleground states … Continue reading “Has Technology Made Election Polls More Accurate? Not Yet”
Machine Learning, Precision Medicine: What’s Hot in Healthtech 11/17
With the election in our wake (was there a spike in anxiety and sleep meds?), we can turn our full attention to our What’s Hot in Boston Healthtech event, which will take place next Thursday (Nov. 17) at the Broad Institute in Kendall Square. You can find more details about the event and get your … Continue reading “Machine Learning, Precision Medicine: What’s Hot in Healthtech 11/17”
Trump’s Election Stunner: Tech and Life Sciences Leaders React
Still processing what this will mean for technology, business, society, and humanity—I guess it’s going to take a while. In the meantime, here are 10 notable reactions from around the Xconomy network, mostly via Twitter. As you might guess, they are a mix of outrage, resiliency, hope, rationalizing, grandstanding, and some calls for calm and … Continue reading “Trump’s Election Stunner: Tech and Life Sciences Leaders React”
In Trump-GOP Tsunami, Blue-State Healthcare Ideas Swamped
[Updated, 11/9/16, 1:20 p.m. See below.] The 2016 U.S. election is over. The country has been rocked by the presidential race, with Donald Trump taking the White House. Every facet of American policy, our attitudes toward power and governance, even our national character will be topics of debate in coming months. Our healthcare system will … Continue reading “In Trump-GOP Tsunami, Blue-State Healthcare Ideas Swamped”
RealSavvy May Add SF, LA to Social Real Estate Apps After Funding
Austin—RealSavvy, the Austin, TX-based startup behind a real estate app with Pinterest-like qualities for home buyers and agents, is looking to expand to cities outside of the state after receiving a new round of funding last month, co-founder and CEO Rick Orr tells Xconomy. The company received $1.6 million in October from FF Angel, an … Continue reading “RealSavvy May Add SF, LA to Social Real Estate Apps After Funding”
Silatronix, Propeller, BrainXell, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
The 2016 presidential campaign is coming to a close and for many, not a day too soon. Renew your faith in humanity with these recent headlines from Wisconsin’s innovation community: —Madison-based Silatronix—a developer of silicon-based materials that can be used as electrolytes in batteries and other energy storage devices—was on a list of “10 Startups … Continue reading “Silatronix, Propeller, BrainXell, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Golf Apparel Startup Wins $25K at San Antonio Pitch Contest
San Antonio—An e-commerce golf clothing business called The Country Club Collection won the $25,000 top award at the Stumberg Prize Competition hosted by Trinity University in San Antonio. The Country Club Collection liquidates unsold inventory from country club pro shops and golf outlets through its website, according to Luis Martinez, the director of Trinity’s Center … Continue reading “Golf Apparel Startup Wins $25K at San Antonio Pitch Contest”
WorkHere Aims to Be LinkedIn for Non-Cubicle Dwellers
In the current era, it’s almost a given that people working in so-called white collar jobs will maintain a LinkedIn account. Whether for the purpose of storing a resume, communicating with potential employers, or connecting to one’s professional network for help finding a job, LinkedIn has become the default online network for cubicle dwellers across … Continue reading “WorkHere Aims to Be LinkedIn for Non-Cubicle Dwellers”
Echodyne Demonstrates Detect and Avoid Radar on a Small Drone
Echodyne, the metamaterials startup company backed by the likes of Bill Gates and Paul Allen, announced a successful test of its detect-and-avoid radar system for small drones. Bellevue, WA-based Echodyne—one of the startups commercializing metamaterials technology from patent aggregator and invention company Intellectual Ventures—says a small drone outfitted with a lightweight radar system could track … Continue reading “Echodyne Demonstrates Detect and Avoid Radar on a Small Drone”
Texas Roundup: Brainspace, Disruptors, Phunware, Chiron, Fountainhead
Let’s catch up with the latest innovation news in Texas: —Dallas’s Brainspace, a machine-learning software startup, has been acquired by private equity firms Medina Capital and BC Partners to become part of a larger cybersecurity and data services company. The new joint venture will be composed of 57 data centers and four software companies, including Brainspace. … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Brainspace, Disruptors, Phunware, Chiron, Fountainhead”
Milwaukee Wine Subscription Startup Now Also Shipping Cheese
Bright Cellars appears to have little difficulty adjusting to its surroundings. The monthly wine service, which started in Boston but moved to Milwaukee last year, says it is now also shipping boxes of artisan cheeses to customers’ doorsteps. The cheeses are all made in the Badger State, Bright Cellars says. “Wisconsin has some of the … Continue reading “Milwaukee Wine Subscription Startup Now Also Shipping Cheese”
Ridesharing Startup SPLT Wins Accelerate Michigan’s $500K Prize
SPLT, the Detroit-based enterprise carpooling service and graduate of the Techstars Mobility program, walked away with the $500,000 grand prize at this year’s Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, the state’s largest annual startup event, held last week in Detroit. In an e-mail to supporters, SPLT CEO Anya Babbitt described the company’s reaction to the win: “Thursday night … Continue reading “Ridesharing Startup SPLT Wins Accelerate Michigan’s $500K Prize”
Forecast Update: CA’s Prop. 61 Now A Toss-Up, New Poll Shows
Xconomy reported Thursday that support for Proposition 61, the California initiative to rein in drug prices, had slipped in a recent poll to a slim 51 percent majority, with 24 percent opposed and 25 percent undecided. Since then, a new state poll from a different pollster has put Prop. 61’s chances at a toss-up: 47 … Continue reading “Forecast Update: CA’s Prop. 61 Now A Toss-Up, New Poll Shows”