Kathryn Wagner treats boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare and fatal genetic disease. She thinks the first drug ever approved to treat Duchenne is “horrendously expensive,” and she’s not comfortable with the data that the FDA said was good enough to merit the approval, which was announced with great controversy this week. But Wagner … Continue reading “Sarepta Preps For Sales As Insurers Unlikely To Deny Duchenne Drug”
Category: National
Pillar Hires Hodges as Boston VCs Build Community, Boost Diversity
It’s been a dynamic year for the Boston venture capital scene. Several new tech-focused funds have launched, some putting new spins on the traditional VC model. And, it’s worth noting, the firms are assembling diverse leadership teams. The latest example comes from Pillar, which today announced a new partner, Sarah Hodges. Hodges (pictured above) previously … Continue reading “Pillar Hires Hodges as Boston VCs Build Community, Boost Diversity”
Talk Bio Diversity With Sato, McGuire at Disruptors on Oct. 20
Gender diversity, or rather the lack of it, remains a problem in biotech board rooms, C-suites, and venture firms. As Polaris Partners general partner and co-founder Terry McGuire wrote in a recent op-ed, quite simply, “we need to do better.” McGuire will join Vicki Sato—a professor of management practice at Harvard University and a former … Continue reading “Talk Bio Diversity With Sato, McGuire at Disruptors on Oct. 20”
Catalyze Raises $6.5M for Health Data Hosting and Integration Tools
Catalyze, a Madison, WI-based startup that provides cloud hosting and data integration services for healthcare organizations, says it has raised $6.5 million from investors. Lewis and Clark Ventures of St. Louis led the Series B funding round, Catalyze says in a news release. Other participants included Arthur Ventures, Baird Venture Partners, and Chicago Ventures, all of … Continue reading “Catalyze Raises $6.5M for Health Data Hosting and Integration Tools”
Intellectual Ventures Co-Founder Jung to Speak at Disruptors Oct. 27
Houston—Two of the brand names that speak loudest to innovation in this country are Microsoft and Intellectual Ventures. Edward Jung is co-founder and chief technology officer of Intellectual Ventures, as well as the former chief architect at Microsoft. He is the latest addition to our program for Xconomy’s upcoming Disruptors conference in Houston on October … Continue reading “Intellectual Ventures Co-Founder Jung to Speak at Disruptors Oct. 27”
When Self-Driving Cars Turn Corner, Other Autos Become Irrelevant
Austin—Autonomous cars are coming. How quickly they take over the automobile market will largely depend on how soon consumers are willing to trust the cars, governments are able to manage the sector, and insurers are able to assess the risk, says Peter Stone, a professor who works in the artificial intelligence laboratory at the University … Continue reading “When Self-Driving Cars Turn Corner, Other Autos Become Irrelevant”
Eleven Bio Buys Viventia, Rebrands as Cancer Drug Developer
Eleven Biotherapeutics became an eye-disease company several years ago, a move that allowed it to go public, raise a bunch of money, and get an eye drug all the way to a pair of late-stage clinical trials. Both studies failed, however, which left the Cambridge, MA, company searching for a new direction—which today has been … Continue reading “Eleven Bio Buys Viventia, Rebrands as Cancer Drug Developer”
Agtech Sprouts From North Carolina’s Fertile Ground: A Company Map
Tobacco is still king in North Carolina, the top crop in the nation’s largest tobacco-producing state. But these days, North Carolina tobacco means more than cigarettes. Medicago’s facility in Durham, NC, for example, manufactures vaccines from tobacco plants. And a startup called SynShark has set up a Cornelius, NC, research site where it is testing … Continue reading “Agtech Sprouts From North Carolina’s Fertile Ground: A Company Map”
Soil Health Institute Plants Roots in RTP’s Growing Agtech Hub
Farmers have tinkered with soil for thousands of years, using fertilizers to add nutrients and amendments to adjust its acidity. But soil is more complex than that, says Wayne Honeycutt, CEO of the Soil Health Institute in Research Triangle Park, NC. Science is just scratching the surface of understanding soil’s biological components, the billions of … Continue reading “Soil Health Institute Plants Roots in RTP’s Growing Agtech Hub”
Announcing Xconomy’s Agtech and Food Channel
A core tenet of Xconomy—and the reason behind our broad coverage across information technology, life sciences, energy, and more—is that the most interesting and important innovations often arise from the intersection of different disciplines. One of the most important intersections today is between agriculture, the life sciences, and information technology—as evidenced by the growing field … Continue reading “Announcing Xconomy’s Agtech and Food Channel”
Doxly Raises $2.25 Million Seed Round and Plans Public Launch
Doxly, the Indianapolis-based legal tech startup, announced Monday that it has raised a $2.25 million seed round. Investors include Nextlaw Labs, the business accelerator associated with Dentons, the world’s largest law firm; High Alpha Capital, and Hyde Park Ventures. Doxly founder Haley Altman says the company did a soft launch last month with pilot customers, … Continue reading “Doxly Raises $2.25 Million Seed Round and Plans Public Launch”
SproutsIO Launches Microfarming Device as Indoor Gardens Germinate
The distance from farm to table is now just a few feet, thanks to new systems that allow people to grow food in their kitchen or living room. Last fall, Xconomy covered the launch of a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for Somerville, MA-based Grove, a startup out of MIT that developed a product that enables consumers … Continue reading “SproutsIO Launches Microfarming Device as Indoor Gardens Germinate”
With Tobira Deal, Allergan Keeps Shopping For “Questionable” Assets
[Updated 9/20/16, 4:45 p.m. See below.] Since its mega-merger with drug giant Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) fell apart, Allergan has been on an acquisition spree of its own. Its latest purchase has the highest profile—and highest premium—of the lot. Allergan (NYSE: [[ticker:AGN]]) said today it is paying up to $1.7 billion for Tobira Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TBRA]]), … Continue reading “With Tobira Deal, Allergan Keeps Shopping For “Questionable” Assets”
Marking 20 Years of STEM Education at TAF, and Planning for 20 More
Trish Millines Dziko is getting ready to celebrate. For 20 years, the Technology Access Foundation, which she co-founded with her spouse, Jill Hull Dziko, has helped thousands of Seattle-area kids of color gain skills and experiences to unlock careers in the booming industry that has come to define the regional economy, and nearly all aspects … Continue reading “Marking 20 Years of STEM Education at TAF, and Planning for 20 More”
Austin’s DivInc Accelerator Focuses On Minority Startup Founders
Austin—Preston James left his position as chief of Dell Computer’s Global Center for Entrepreneurs two years ago, and decided to mentor and invest in startup founders full-time, most notably through an affiliation with Austin’s Capital Factory and the Central Texas Angel Network. He quickly noticed that, as an African-American, the faces he saw rarely resembled … Continue reading “Austin’s DivInc Accelerator Focuses On Minority Startup Founders”
Viddyad Takes Grand Prize at L’Oréal USA Women in Digital Program
It will be easier for more businesses to create and share video ads if Grainne Barron has her way. Last week, Barron, the founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Viddyad, was named this year’s grand prize winner at the L’Oréal USA Women in Digital awards held in New York. Viddyad is a platform that lets … Continue reading “Viddyad Takes Grand Prize at L’Oréal USA Women in Digital Program”
Regeneron, in Pain Drug Race With Pfizer & Lilly, Gets $250M From Teva
Millions of people in the U.S. suffer from chronic forms of pain, but the treatment options aren’t great. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is locked in a race with Eli Lilly and Pfizer to develop an alternative, and today the Tarrytown, NY, company just got a big chunk of cash to speed the way forward. Teva Pharmaceutical (NYSE: … Continue reading “Regeneron, in Pain Drug Race With Pfizer & Lilly, Gets $250M From Teva”
Ultimaker Pushes 3D Printers in U.S. With Help of Former Z Corp Exec
The dream of putting a desktop 3D printer in every home hasn’t materialized, despite a lot of hype, and it might still be years away—if it comes at all. “I don’t know if it’s dead as an idea,” says John Kawola, a Boston-based executive with Dutch 3D printing company Ultimaker. “But we don’t spend any … Continue reading “Ultimaker Pushes 3D Printers in U.S. With Help of Former Z Corp Exec”
Are Enterprise or Consumer Startups Best VC Bets? One VC’s View
When Shawn Carolan joined Menlo Ventures just after earning his MBA at Stanford in 2002, he found the venture capital firm “fairly enterprise focused.” But Carolan, a trained engineer who says he loves gadgets and gizmos, was most interested in tech products aimed at consumers. Over the next decade, the Stanford recruit managed to give … Continue reading “Are Enterprise or Consumer Startups Best VC Bets? One VC’s View”
Pharmaceutical Price Controls Might Be Closer Than You Think
Amid the hue and cry over the Mylan EpiPen pricing debacle, Hillary Clinton unveiled her “Plan to Respond to Unjustified Price Hikes for Long-Available Drugs.” Clinton’s plan calls for “dedicated oversight to protect consumers.” To that end she would “convene representatives of federal agencies…to create a dedicated group charged with protecting consumers from outlier price … Continue reading “Pharmaceutical Price Controls Might Be Closer Than You Think”
CyberTech Opens New “Entrepreneur in Residence” Program to 8 Teams
Darin Andersen, the busy-bee creator of San Diego’s Cyberhive, iHive, and xHive startup programs, says eight early stage tech companies have joined the co-working space he has been building out in Bankers Hill under a new “Entrepreneur in Residence” program. Andersen created the program under the auspices of CyberTech, a membership organization he created to … Continue reading “CyberTech Opens New “Entrepreneur in Residence” Program to 8 Teams”
Sarepta Prices $300K Duchenne Drug As FDA Rift Emerges Over Approval
The FDA approved Monday the first drug ever for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but only after the commissioner had to settle a high-stakes dispute between powerful agency scientists. Prominent members of the FDA’s drug-review staff, fearful of setting a precedent for the regulation of drugs for rare diseases, voted to reject eteplirsen (Exondys 51), from Cambridge, … Continue reading “Sarepta Prices $300K Duchenne Drug As FDA Rift Emerges Over Approval”
After $70M Boston Scientific Deal, CeloNova CEO Heads to Nonprofit
San Antonio — Martin Landon, a long-time San Antonio life sciences executive, has left the chief executive role at medical device maker CeloNova Biosciences a year after selling a portion of the business to Boston Scientific for $70 million. Landon has taken a new job as the CEO of nonprofit BioBridge Global. San Antonio-based BioBridge … Continue reading “After $70M Boston Scientific Deal, CeloNova CEO Heads to Nonprofit”
Epic, Astronautics, Virent, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist
Keep up with the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Judy Faulkner, founder and CEO of Verona-based Epic Systems, revealed to Healthcare IT News that half of her company’s operating expenses go toward research and development. That’s ahead of competing electronic health records software vendors such as Allscripts (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDRX]]), Athenahealth … Continue reading “Epic, Astronautics, Virent, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”
FourPlay Football Offers Fantasy Pick ‘Em Leagues with a Twist
I first started playing fantasy football in 1998, before Yahoo leagues, or channels wholly dedicated to jumping from game to game to show potential scoring drives from the end zone, or multiple talking heads earnestly spouting off about a made-up game each week. Back then, when one still needed a dial-up modem to access the … Continue reading “FourPlay Football Offers Fantasy Pick ‘Em Leagues with a Twist”
After New Data, FDA Bucks Advisory Panel, Approves Sarepta’s Duchenne Drug
[Updated 9/19/16, 12:42 p.m. See below.] In a decision that could have myriad implications for both the pharmaceutical industry and patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the FDA today approved a drug called eteplirsen from Cambridge, MA-based Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]). With the FDA nod, eteplirsen has become the first drug ever approved for Duchenne, a … Continue reading “After New Data, FDA Bucks Advisory Panel, Approves Sarepta’s Duchenne Drug”
Roundup: DIUx, Scraffic, Peloton, Pitchocracy, & Alamo City Angels
Let’s get caught up with the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas. —EverlyWell wants to deepen our knowledge of our quantified selves. The year-old startup sells what it calls “health and wellness” at-home assays that can check hormone and blood sugar levels, among other biological markers. EverlyWell partners with certified labs that process the samples, … Continue reading “Roundup: DIUx, Scraffic, Peloton, Pitchocracy, & Alamo City Angels”
With $163M Deal, Tarveda Revives Synta Pharma’s Cancer Drug Work
Earlier this year, Blend Therapeutics changed its name to Tarveda Therapeutics and spun what used to be its lead drug into a separate company, the latest steps in a strategic overhaul. The wheeling and dealing continued this morning for the Watertown, MA, company, which has cut a deal with Madrigal Pharmaceuticals—the firm that recently merged … Continue reading “With $163M Deal, Tarveda Revives Synta Pharma’s Cancer Drug Work”
Workforce Trends, Economy, & More: Q&A With Alexandria’s Joel Marcus
Think “innovation” and you might picture some scrappy entrepreneurs toiling away in a kitchen or garage, hoping the landlord doesn’t notice what they’re up to. But the reality is that turning science into big business often requires far more sophisticated infrastructure—and the landlord who provides that infrastructure sometimes has one of the best windows into … Continue reading “Workforce Trends, Economy, & More: Q&A With Alexandria’s Joel Marcus”
Colorado’s Webroot Buys CyberFlow Analytics, Expands in San Diego
Not long after ViaSat (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VSAT]]) acquired San Diego-based LonoCloud in 2013, former LonoCloud executives Tom Caldwell and Hossein Eslambolchi met for coffee at the Specialty’s Café and Bakery in University City. Eslambolchi, who had served as a LonoCloud advisor and CEO, told Caldwell he had an idea for a cybersecurity startup that would use … Continue reading “Colorado’s Webroot Buys CyberFlow Analytics, Expands in San Diego”
Report: Indianapolis Tech Office Growth Among Highest in Nation
Indianapolis made the top 10 in a new report that looked at 45 U.S. cities and measured an area’s attractiveness to tech companies based on how much space those companies are leasing. The report, commissioned by commercial real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) and titled “U.S. Technology Office Outlook,” found that tech companies signed … Continue reading “Report: Indianapolis Tech Office Growth Among Highest in Nation”
Boston Tech Watch: Driverless Cars, Stealthy Startups, Deals & More
Fall’s arrival has brought with it a ton of tech news. Here are the latest headlines from the Boston area, spanning self-driving cars, a flurry of startup funding deals, a lawsuit over 3D printer patents, and more. Read on for details. —Self-driving cars will soon be tested on Boston streets as part of a year-long … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Driverless Cars, Stealthy Startups, Deals & More”
Lawyer Talks Industry Trends, Improving WI’s Startup Scene, & More
Joe Boucher, a Madison, WI-based attorney, has been advising early-stage businesses for more than 30 years. He is a co-founder of Neider & Boucher, and bestlawyers.com recently named him 2017 Madison-area lawyer of the year for closely held companies and family. Earlier this week, Boucher sat down with Xconomy Wisconsin to discuss some of the … Continue reading “Lawyer Talks Industry Trends, Improving WI’s Startup Scene, & More”
Seattle Week in Review: Startup Diversity, Apptio, LumaTax, & More
It’s late into what has felt like a really long week. We’re catching up on a handful of news items from Seattle tech including: a new survey of startup founders on diversity; Apptio’s IPO pricing plans; LumaTax, a spinout from Pioneer Square Labs; 10 startups selected for Microsoft’s next startup accelerator; Chinese digital advertising company … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Startup Diversity, Apptio, LumaTax, & More”
Survey: Tech Startup Leaders Want Diversity, Not Sure How to Reach It
Tech startup leaders “want to create an inclusive and diverse workforce, but many simply don’t know what to do to build inclusive teams.” That’s how Techstars co-founder and co-CEO David Cohen put it in a blog post earlier this week summarizing the results of a survey of 680 startup founders and top executives, mainly of … Continue reading “Survey: Tech Startup Leaders Want Diversity, Not Sure How to Reach It”
Everbridge Stock Jumps Over 20 Percent in Wall Street Debut
Everbridge’s first day as a publicly traded company is in the books: Wall Street investors bid up its stock by more than 20 percent. The Burlington, MA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EVBG]]) closed at $15.25 per share. That’s 27 percent higher than the company’s initial $12 pricing last night, and it’s nearly 24 percent above the $12.30 … Continue reading “Everbridge Stock Jumps Over 20 Percent in Wall Street Debut”
Austin’s EverlyWell Helps Consumers Do More Health Tests at Home
Austin—Now that we consumers are used to tracking our steps and sleep via our wrists, health IT startup EverlyWell wants to take health tracking a little deeper. The Austin, TX-based company sells what it calls “health and wellness tests”—at-home assays that check hormone levels, blood sugar, cholesterol, and more—that can help a person learn more … Continue reading “Austin’s EverlyWell Helps Consumers Do More Health Tests at Home”
Rent College Pads Raises $1M for Tools to Help Students Find Housing
Milwaukee-based Rent College Pads announced it has raised $1 million from investors to fuel the growth of its technology, which according to the startup’s website is active at 46 colleges and universities across 20 states. Rent College Pads, which focuses on helping users find off-campus housing, says that more than 2 million students have found a … Continue reading “Rent College Pads Raises $1M for Tools to Help Students Find Housing”
Biotech Roundup: CRISPR’s 3rd IPO, Gender Diversity, Buyouts & More
Across the nation, and even looking back into the past, health was in the headlines this week. Our presidential candidates were either recovering from pneumonia or talking up their health records. New documents came to light that showed the sugar industry paid for studies downplaying the ties between sugar and heart disease. And the drug-price … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: CRISPR’s 3rd IPO, Gender Diversity, Buyouts & More”
What Startups Can Do About Cyber Attacks
A cybersecurity report by Ponemon Institute, in association with Keeper Security, found that in the 12 months leading up to June 2016, 55 percent of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) experienced a cyber attack, while 50 percent encountered data breaches involving customer and employee information. These statistics belie the common notion that cybercriminals attack only … Continue reading “What Startups Can Do About Cyber Attacks”
Everbridge Bags $90M in Boston Area’s Second Tech IPO of 2016
[Updated 9/16/16, 12:24 pm. See below.] The Boston area has already generated more tech IPOs this year than it did in all of 2015. That’s not saying much. Burlington, MA-based Everbridge today became the second Massachusetts tech company to go public in 2016, following networking technology firm Acacia Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACIA]]). Last year, only one … Continue reading “Everbridge Bags $90M in Boston Area’s Second Tech IPO of 2016”
Dallas-Based Peloton Raises $52.4M for Kidney Cancer Drug Candidate
Dallas—Peloton Therapeutics, which is developing small molecule cancer therapies, announced Thursday it has raised $52.4 million in a Series D financing round. Investors included Foresite Capital Management, a new investor, and previous backers Remeditex, The Column Group, Tichenor Ventures, Topspin Fund, and Nextech Invest. Jim Tananbaum, Foresite’s CEO and managing director, said in a prepared … Continue reading “Dallas-Based Peloton Raises $52.4M for Kidney Cancer Drug Candidate”
San Diego Innovation Economy Extended Gains in 2015: Connect Report
San Diego’s innovation clusters continued to grow in 2015, as local startups, funding deals, and job growth extended an economic growth spurt that began in 2013. That’s according to a report being released today by Connect, the local nonprofit group focused on technology and entrepreneurship. The Connect Innovation Report found that 405 software, technology, and … Continue reading “San Diego Innovation Economy Extended Gains in 2015: Connect Report”
Roundup: Lansing Proto, MCWT, BizGrid, GM Wayfinder App & More
Here’s a look at tech and innovation news from around Michigan: —Plymouth Ventures has sold its position in 365 Retail Markets, the Troy-based developer of point-of-sale hardware, software, and mobile technologies for the workplace, to Omaha, NE-based McCarthy Capital Fund VI. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. “It is an impressive achievement for … Continue reading “Roundup: Lansing Proto, MCWT, BizGrid, GM Wayfinder App & More”
How to Teach Computational Thinking
Computational thinking is going to be a defining feature of the future—and it’s an incredibly important thing to be teaching to kids today. There’s always lots of discussion (and concern) about how to teach traditional mathematical thinking to kids. But looking to the future, this pales in comparison to the importance of teaching computational thinking. … Continue reading “How to Teach Computational Thinking”
Zimmer Biomet Gets Hip to 3D Imaging with Clinical Graphics Deal
Zimmer Biomet, aiming to improve the way physicians see hip injuries, has acquired 3D-imaging technology startup Clinical Graphics. Warsaw, IN-based Zimmer Biomet (NYSE: [[ticker:ZBH]]) disclosed no financial terms for the deal. Clinical Graphics, based in the Netherlands, will join Zimmer Biomet’s hip preservation portfolio, the company said. Clinical Graphics says its technology is based on … Continue reading “Zimmer Biomet Gets Hip to 3D Imaging with Clinical Graphics Deal”
Greiner Shifts to CyPhy Works CTO, Former Kiva Exec Takes Helm
In a leadership change at a high-profile drone startup in the Boston area, CyPhy Works founder Helen Greiner has stepped aside as CEO and moved into the role of chief technology officer. The startup’s new CEO is Lance Vanden Brook, a former executive with warehouse robotics firm Kiva Systems, now owned by Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]). … Continue reading “Greiner Shifts to CyPhy Works CTO, Former Kiva Exec Takes Helm”
San Antonio Investors Create Angel Network, Hire Executive Director
San Antonio—[Updated 9/16/16, 11:36 p.m.] South Texas now has its own angel network, and the network officially has its own executive director. The San Antonio Angel Network announced this morning that it has hired Chris Burney, a former finance manager and analyst at Rackspace, for the position. The group quietly got its start this summer and … Continue reading “San Antonio Investors Create Angel Network, Hire Executive Director”
Scraffic Developers Simplify Traffic Tech for Retail Businesses
San Antonio—Tracking the foot traffic of retail stores may not be sexy work, but it’s big business. Dozens of companies provide some sort of related offering, from analytics programs and software services that piggyback on the iBeacon to something as simple as camera and equipment makers. A San Antonio-based startup, Scraffic, announced its launch yesterday … Continue reading “Scraffic Developers Simplify Traffic Tech for Retail Businesses”
Barclays & Techstars Graduate Latest Fintech Accelerator Class in NY
Today, 10 teams will demo their fintech ideas as the latest batch of startups to come through the Barclays Accelerator in New York. British bank Barclays and startup accelerator Techstars collaborate to run the program here, with managing director Jenny Fielding heading things up. She also runs the Techstars IoT (Internet of Things) Accelerator in … Continue reading “Barclays & Techstars Graduate Latest Fintech Accelerator Class in NY”