Category: National

Seattle Week in Review: Tax Day Edition

We’ll pay what we owe Uncle Sam and hold our noses at the breadth and depth of tax evasion efforts by corporations and the super-rich revealed in the Panama Papers. This week, we’re reviewing first-quarter venture investments and filings indicating that Maveron is raising a new venture fund; several new funding rounds, including a big … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Tax Day Edition”

How a San Antonio Company Joined In to Help Conjoined Twins In Need

San Antonio — [Corrected 4:05 p.m. See below.] For a few hours this week, the country was focused on a pair of infant twins in the South Texas town of Corpus Christi, who were conjoined below the waist. Surgeons at Driscoll Children’s Hospital successfully separated the 10-month old babies, Ximena and Scarlett Hernandez-Torres, after 12 … Continue reading “How a San Antonio Company Joined In to Help Conjoined Twins In Need”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Theranos, Medivation, Juno, and More

Sean Parker, who made billions of dollars investing in Napster and Facebook, hosted a big party this week with Lady Gaga, John Legend, and a lot of movie stars. Oh, and Parker pledged $250 million to create a cancer immunotherapy center in his own name that will coordinate research between six academic centers spread across … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Theranos, Medivation, Juno, and More”

Indiana Firms Draw More Than $22M in First-Quarter Funding

Five innovative Indiana companies attracted more than $22 million in capital during the first quarter of 2016. That’s up from $17.5 million in the same period last year. Leading the way this year was Indianapolis-based neurosurgery device maker Nico, which closed a $15 million funding round in late February. Investors included previous backers River Cities … Continue reading “Indiana Firms Draw More Than $22M in First-Quarter Funding”

ROBLOX Lets The Games Begin in VR: Launches On Oculus Rift

Predicting the potential market for virtual reality is the classic chicken-and-egg question: People will only buy the new crop of VR headsets—on sale for the first time this year—if there are plenty of things to watch or do on them. But content developers can only profit if people buy the headsets. San Mateo, CA-based game … Continue reading “ROBLOX Lets The Games Begin in VR: Launches On Oculus Rift”

Oil Price’s Dip Challenges Energy Entrepreneurs to Rise

Houston — Amid the fallout of Surge Ventures’ failure to thrive are the 32 portfolio companies that remain. These startups, with which Surge founder Kirk Coburn has said he will continue to work, are innovating in a variety of energy fields, by leveraging new apps and software, and novel hardware. They all face their biggest entrepreneurial … Continue reading “Oil Price’s Dip Challenges Energy Entrepreneurs to Rise”

First-Quarter VC Activity Buoyant at $12.1 Billion, & Top 10 Deals

Venture capital firms invested $12.1 billion in 969 startup deals nationwide during the first three months of 2016, marking the ninth consecutive quarter when VCs invested at least $10 billion in new companies, according to the MoneyTree Report. The top 10 deals accounted for 25 percent of all capital deployed during the quarter, and was … Continue reading “First-Quarter VC Activity Buoyant at $12.1 Billion, & Top 10 Deals”

PillPack Puts Pressure on Express Scripts in Pharmacy Dispute

[Updated, 10:30pm. See below] It’s a timeworn tale: a startup forms a key partnership with a big company, only to see said company change the terms or end the deal. Think Microsoft, Amazon, or any other giant throwing its weight around with smaller players. Now think healthcare—and a fight between one of the fastest-growing local … Continue reading “PillPack Puts Pressure on Express Scripts in Pharmacy Dispute”

Seattle Startup Group14 Technologies Targets Big Boost in Batteries

A new Seattle materials company is developing a technology that could boost lithium ion battery energy density by up to 30 percent, it claims, while also reducing costs. Group14 Technologies is a new spin-out from EnerG2, the 13-year-old Seattle materials company that has a growing business providing engineered carbon materials for other energy storage technologies, … Continue reading “Seattle Startup Group14 Technologies Targets Big Boost in Batteries”

New Trinity Program Offers Paid Internships at San Antonio Startups

San Antonio — Two local tech-related organizations have announced a new program with Trinity University that will offer paid internships at San Antonio startups this summer. Called Students + Startups, the 10-week program will pay 30 students a $4,000 stipend, cover the cost of on-campus housing, and pay for one academic credit hour. It is … Continue reading “New Trinity Program Offers Paid Internships at San Antonio Startups”

Blue Cross Invests in Hygieia, Partners on Diabetes Management Pilot

Insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, in its quest for better and cheaper patient care, has formed a new partnership with Ann Arbor, MI-based startup Hygieia. As part of the arrangement, Blue Cross will invest an undisclosed amount in the company, which has developed a digital insulin guidance system called d-Nav, and launch … Continue reading “Blue Cross Invests in Hygieia, Partners on Diabetes Management Pilot”

With $40M Led by GV, Quartet Expands Tech for Mental Health Care

Quartet Health, the data-focused New York company that is trying to connect what it calls behavioral and physical healthcare, has received a $40 million Series B round led by GV, the venture capital arm of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Quartet plans to spend the new money on gaining clients in five to 10 more major … Continue reading “With $40M Led by GV, Quartet Expands Tech for Mental Health Care”

Verizon Fios, New Digs, Pink Slips & More in Boston Tech Watchlist

[Updated 4/14/16, 1:06 p.m. See below.] There’s a lot of news to recap this week in Boston’s tech scene. We’ve got C-suite shakeups, staff expansions and contractions, and companies making moves in telehealth, robotics, and high-speed Internet service (spoiler alert: there will be more options for Bostonians, but you might be waiting a while). Read … Continue reading “Verizon Fios, New Digs, Pink Slips & More in Boston Tech Watchlist”

Soul-searching in Houston on Energy Innovation as Surge Closes

Houston — Since Surge Ventures closed its cleantech/energy venture accelerator last week, the question lingering has been, If a Surge can’t succeed in Houston—the energy capital of the world—then where? Houston’s prowess in energy turned out to be Surge’s Achilles heel: a lack of buy-in from incumbent oil and gas companies and electric utilities, says Surge founder Kirk Coburn. … Continue reading “Soul-searching in Houston on Energy Innovation as Surge Closes”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Intellia, What’s Hot, Cydan, Fog & More

Gene editing was in the news again this week, thanks to Intellia Therapeutics, which looks poised to become the second company developing drugs with CRISPR-Cas9 technology to go public. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a third, CRISPR Therapeutics, follow suit. That means investors will have a chance to place and hedge their bets … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Intellia, What’s Hot, Cydan, Fog & More”

Cydan, NEA’s Orphan Drug Accelerator, Targets Sickle Cell With Startup Imara

Cydan Development, New Enterprise Associates’s orphan drug startup accelerator, has taken a look at around 600 assets since it was formed some three years ago. Sifting through all these potential drugs for diamonds in the rough has been an exhaustive process, perhaps even more so than the firm’s executives expected. “It takes longer to de-risk … Continue reading “Cydan, NEA’s Orphan Drug Accelerator, Targets Sickle Cell With Startup Imara”

EnsoData Raises $550K to Develop Software That Analyzes Sleep Data

At an event last August featuring pitches from startups, EnsoData co-founder Chris Fernandez told audience members that his company was hoping to raise $300,000 in a seed funding round. EnsoData, whose software uses machine learning algorithms to help clinicians score sleep data and diagnose patients with sleep apnea and other disorders, has now realized that … Continue reading “EnsoData Raises $550K to Develop Software That Analyzes Sleep Data”

After a Year on the Market, Qumulo Counts 50+ Customers, 40 Petabytes

In the year since it began selling its enterprise data storage software, Seattle-based Qumulo has amassed more than 50 customers storing upwards of 40 petabytes of data in aggregate. Qumulo distinguishes itself in a crowded field in several ways, but one is its emphasis on continuous delivery of software updates, rolling out new features and … Continue reading “After a Year on the Market, Qumulo Counts 50+ Customers, 40 Petabytes”

Kala Pharma Nabs $68M, Crossover Backers for Eye Drug Push

It’s been a common sight over the past few years for a biotech startup to bring a bunch of “crossover” investors—who invest in both public and private companies—into the mix before taking a crack at an IPO. Kala Pharmaceuticals just got the first part of that done by raising a $68 million Series C round … Continue reading “Kala Pharma Nabs $68M, Crossover Backers for Eye Drug Push”

After EMC, Dell Buyouts, Spanning Focused on Data Backup, Ransomware

Austin — The broad-stroke reasoning behind the Dell and EMC merger has been discussed for months: Dell is hoping to benefit from being able to simultaneously offer its computers, servers, and other hardware alongside EMC’s data storage, virtualization, security, and various other computing and data-focused services. But there are other parts of Hopkinton, MA-based EMC (NYSE: … Continue reading “After EMC, Dell Buyouts, Spanning Focused on Data Backup, Ransomware”

Nexthink Nabs $40M as Cybersecurity, Machine Learning Unite

A Swiss data analytics and cybersecurity company is beefing up its Boston-area presence after grabbing $40 million in venture capital, led by Highland Europe. Nexthink established a U.S. presence three weeks ago with the opening of a sales office in Cambridge, MA. The company employs about 10 people there to start, but it plans to … Continue reading “Nexthink Nabs $40M as Cybersecurity, Machine Learning Unite”

With Latest Startup, Harvard’s Verdine Again Aims at Elusive Targets

Harvard University chemical biologist and serial entrepreneur Greg Verdine has spent more than a decade trying to come up with different solutions for one critical problem in biotech: The majority of would-be drug targets are out of reach of existing technologies. That drive has already led to several different companies—among them Aileron Therapeutics, Warp Drive … Continue reading “With Latest Startup, Harvard’s Verdine Again Aims at Elusive Targets”

Detroit Big Winner in Knight Contest for Innovative Civic Projects

The Knight Foundation announced the winners of its annual Knight Cities Challenge competition today, and Detroit-centered projects cleaned up. Out of the approximately 4,500 applications submitted nationwide, 767 came from Detroiters—more than any other city “by a pretty wide margin,” organizers said. Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that of the 37 winners, six were from … Continue reading “Detroit Big Winner in Knight Contest for Innovative Civic Projects”

Shapeways CEO Calls Again for 3D Printing Revolution in Manufacturing

At this afternoon’s Inside 3D Printing Conference & Expo held in New York, Shapeways CEO and co-founder Peter Weijmarshausen will give a keynote address on the potential he sees in the long-promised age of digital manufacturing—which, frankly, still has a ways to go before it takes hold with the masses. Shapeways, based in New York, produces 3D-printed … Continue reading “Shapeways CEO Calls Again for 3D Printing Revolution in Manufacturing”

“Start Here, Exit Here”: Dallas Startup Week Begins Its Second Year

Dallas — Aside from an unexpected—and unwelcome—surprise ice storm courtesy of Mother Nature, the first Dallas Startup Week last year went off without a hitch. “Other than that, we had very little negative feedback, which was surprising,” jokes Mike Sitarzewski, founder and CEO of Epic Playground and a chief organizer of Dallas Startup Week, “so … Continue reading ““Start Here, Exit Here”: Dallas Startup Week Begins Its Second Year”

Takeaways and Photos from Big Data Meets Big Biology in San Diego

In his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, Steve Jobs talked about the path we follow in life, saying, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards.” The same could be said about innovation. We cannot know that a particular innovationis the right path to follow as we move … Continue reading “Takeaways and Photos from Big Data Meets Big Biology in San Diego”

Amazon Alexa Adds Health Advice With Boston Children’s Hospital App

Owners of Amazon’s voice-controlled, Internet-connected Echo speaker can ask it to play that catchy new song or find out whether they need to wear a rain coat today. And now, thanks to new software developed by Boston Children’s Hospital, users will be able to inquire if their child’s fever is serious enough that they should … Continue reading “Amazon Alexa Adds Health Advice With Boston Children’s Hospital App”

Vacasa Raises $35M to Expand in Fragmented Vacation Rentals Market

[Updated, 4/12/16, 10:21 a.m. See below.] If you’ve had the good fortune to rent a vacation home recently, you know there’s room for improvement in the process. Portland, OR, company Vacasa announced a $35 million funding round to expand its new approach to a large sector that’s still up for grabs. Level Equity led the … Continue reading “Vacasa Raises $35M to Expand in Fragmented Vacation Rentals Market”

Elanco Gets FDA Nod on Biological Drug for Dairy Cows

A mastitis diagnosis in a cow spells trouble for a dairy farmer, who faces certain loss in milk production and possible loss of the cow. Antibiotics can treat this infection of the udder, but these drugs have fallen out of favor due to growing drug resistance. Soon, though, U.S. farmers will have a biological alternative … Continue reading “Elanco Gets FDA Nod on Biological Drug for Dairy Cows”

Viamet Revisits IPO Plans, This Time With More Data

Viamet Pharmaceuticals is taking another swing at the public markets, filing plans for an initial public offering intended to finance the work needed to bring its lead antifungal drug to the brink of late-stage clinical studies in two types of infections. Durham, NC-based Viamet could raise up to $100 million in the stock offering, according … Continue reading “Viamet Revisits IPO Plans, This Time With More Data”

CRISPR Developer Intellia Deals With Regeneron, Jumps Into IPO Queue

Intellia Therapeutics, a developer of human medicines based on the gene editing technology CRISPR-Cas9, has thrown its hat in the IPO ring. It’s also shooting directly at the liver. The Cambridge, MA-based company filed paperwork to go public today. It also announced a deal with Tarrytown, NY-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:REGN]]) to develop a therapy … Continue reading “CRISPR Developer Intellia Deals With Regeneron, Jumps Into IPO Queue”

Watching a Race Through the Alaskan Wilderness in Real Time

As afternoon slowly slipped into night, Kyle Amstadter pedaled and pushed his fat-tire bike across the vast, frozen expanse of Norton Bay, on Alaska’s Seward Peninsula. He was making about 3.5 miles an hour against a stiff headwind. From Seattle, I watched his progress, unfolding in real time as a trail of blue squares appearing … Continue reading “Watching a Race Through the Alaskan Wilderness in Real Time”

Techstars Gets Industrial With Launch of IoT Accelerator in New York

Trying a different strategy to nurture startups in the Internet of Things niche, Techstars announced on Monday the formation of another accelerator that will be based in New York. Ten spots are up for grabs for startups in the new program, which is another effort by Boulder, CO-based Techstars to foster companies working on ideas that connect … Continue reading “Techstars Gets Industrial With Launch of IoT Accelerator in New York”

University of Denver Program Looks to Bridge Cybersecurity Skills Gap

As far as JB Holston is concerned, there are only two types of businesses: those that know they’ve been hacked, and those that are oblivious. “Those are the only two states of the world out there right now,” said Holston (pictured), dean of the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of … Continue reading “University of Denver Program Looks to Bridge Cybersecurity Skills Gap”

Five Takeaways from “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech”

“What’s Hot in Boston Biotech” can change with the wind. One week it might be a multi-billion dollar buyout, the next a high profile startup. Keeping up with the latest high-flying companies and issues can be tricky when you’re running an event in one of biotechnology’s epicenters. This year, before a packed house at Biogen’s … Continue reading “Five Takeaways from “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech””

A Pivotal Factor In M&A Deals: Cyber Risk

Big merger and acquisition proposals trigger intense examinations of the benefits and risks of the deal from both sides—valuations, assets, legal liabilities, operational risk exposures, and compatibility, among others. However, it is also critical that companies elevate another factor to the top of the priority list: their cyber risk exposure. The pending acquisition of Starwood … Continue reading “A Pivotal Factor In M&A Deals: Cyber Risk”

Recovery Force, Maker of High-Tech Garments, Zeroes In on Partners

A startup that aims to shake up the $2.6 billion compression therapy market with computer-controlled garments said it is in talks to license its technology to apparel and medical device companies. Recovery Force, based in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers, IN, is in discussions with potential partners to develop a “multitude” of products using the … Continue reading “Recovery Force, Maker of High-Tech Garments, Zeroes In on Partners”

Epic Trial, WARF Funding, & City Rankings: This Week’s WI Watchlist

Start your weekend with these recent headlines from Wisconsin’s innovation community: —The trial between Verona-based health records giant Epic Systems and Tata Consultancy Services, based in India, is now underway, the website WisBusiness.com reported. In October 2014, Epic sued Tata, alleging that its consultants working with Epic’s software stole thousands of documents containing proprietary information that … Continue reading “Epic Trial, WARF Funding, & City Rankings: This Week’s WI Watchlist”

Kirk Coburn Announces Closure of Houston’s Surge Ventures

Houston — Kirk Coburn, founder of Surge Ventures, on Friday posted a “Dear John” letter saying Surge is closed. In a tersely worded blog post, Coburn wrote: “I received an e-mail from a senior oil and gas executive a few months ago stating, ‘There is noise from some that Surge is ‘dead.” I have given into … Continue reading “Kirk Coburn Announces Closure of Houston’s Surge Ventures”

Seattle Week in Review: Good Day Sunshine Edition

You should really be outside, enjoying a beautiful spring (summer?) Friday, so we’ll keep this edition of Xconomy Seattle’s Week in Review brief. We’re running through news of a flexible electronics alliance the University of Washington has joined; Tesla’s staggering Model 3 pre-orders; Jeff Bezos’s outlook on failure; a new unmanned submarine hunter the Navy … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Good Day Sunshine Edition”

GE Can Help Boston Lead Internet of Things Era, Steve Case Says

The U.S. tech industry’s center of gravity shifted from Boston to Silicon Valley during the rise of consumer Internet companies. But the Boston area has an opportunity to be a leader in software’s next era, particularly around the emerging “Internet of things,” according to AOL co-founder Steve Case. And GE’s move here will give Boston … Continue reading “GE Can Help Boston Lead Internet of Things Era, Steve Case Says”

Steve Case’s Rules for Building Startups in Internet’s “Third Wave”

Software could be poised to truly transform entrenched sectors like healthcare, education, financial services, and more. But the next wave of software companies will take longer to build than some entrepreneurs have grown accustomed to in the smartphone era, and success will require more patience and willingness to work closely with policymakers and industry stakeholders. … Continue reading “Steve Case’s Rules for Building Startups in Internet’s “Third Wave””

For San Antonio’s Consideration: A Biotech Incubator and Accelerator

San Antonio — [Updated, 1:55 p.m. See below.] Most research institutions or universities have at least one success story, a medicine or therapy developed there that made a big impact. Some have many. For the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, a 70-year-old nonprofit biomedical-focused institute with 56 researchers on staff based in Oklahoma City, OK, what first … Continue reading “For San Antonio’s Consideration: A Biotech Incubator and Accelerator”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: PfizerGan, Nimbus, Intercept, Tesaro & More

This past week started out with a big alliance between Gilead Sciences and Nimbus Therapeutics in one of biotech’s biggest contests—the race to treat nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH. Those who packed Biogen on Wednesday for our biotech forum, “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech,” got an inside look at what led to that deal and where … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: PfizerGan, Nimbus, Intercept, Tesaro & More”

The Case For An Internet Franchise Model

Internet service in America is not what it should be. Most consumers have two choices for access: the phone company or the cable company. By a quirk of fate, networks built with cables designed for television service can deliver more Internet bandwidth than networks built with cables designed for telephone service. So, the cable company … Continue reading “The Case For An Internet Franchise Model”

FAA Authorizes Qualcomm to Test Its New Technologies for Drones

Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) said Thursday the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized the big maker of wireless chips and technologies to operate drones outside its San Diego headquarters, which is within five miles of a Marine Corps air base. Officially known as a certificate of authorization, the permit allows Qualcomm to operate a particular type of … Continue reading “FAA Authorizes Qualcomm to Test Its New Technologies for Drones”

Advisory Panel Backs Intercept’s Liver Drug, FDA Ruling up Next

A panel of FDA advisors gave a thumbs-up today to obeticholic acid, a drug from New York-based Intercept Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ICPT]]) that the agency is considering as a treatment for a rare autoimmune liver disease. The outside advisors, mainly medical specialists from around the U.S., recommended that the FDA approve obeticholic acid, or OCA, by … Continue reading “Advisory Panel Backs Intercept’s Liver Drug, FDA Ruling up Next”