John Brownstein spends a lot of time thinking about how to build the hospital of the future. One thing the chief innovation officer of Boston Children’s Hospital is sure of: digital technologies will be a cornerstone. “Brick and mortar will always be incredibly important,” Brownstein says, referring to treating patients within a hospital’s walls. But … Continue reading “From Alexa to Watson, Boston Children’s Hospital Ups Digital Focus”
Category: National
Invitae Scales Up DNA Test Offerings, Scores Mild Market Bump
Invitae, the genetic testing company that reaped more than $100 million in its IPO last year, today announced an expansion of the diseases covered by its diagnostic assays beyond the cancer tests that have been delivering the bulk of its revenues. The Invitae tests now cover more than a thousand genes—-a mid-year goal the company … Continue reading “Invitae Scales Up DNA Test Offerings, Scores Mild Market Bump”
WaitTime Screens Are Now Live at the Palace and in Pistons App
Basketball fans in Michigan haven’t had much to cheer about lately. The Detroit Pistons are battling for an NBA playoff spot despite being ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference, and we won’t even mention what happened at the NCAA tournament a few weeks ago. However, Motor City startup WaitTime is trying to add a little … Continue reading “WaitTime Screens Are Now Live at the Palace and in Pistons App”
Tour of Texas: Dell, Dignitana, AT&T’s Foundry, U of H, Merge VR
Let’s catch up with innovation news from around the Lone Star state. Austin: —Dell Computer is putting up for sale its IT services businesses—formerly known as Perot Systems—to raise cash to help pay for its acquisition of EMC. Japan’s NTT Data is expected to pay $3 billion for the business. Dell announced last October that … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: Dell, Dignitana, AT&T’s Foundry, U of H, Merge VR”
San Diego Organizes Smart City Hackathon to Achieve Climate Plan
An unusual coalition is coming together in San Diego to create innovative ways to support a climate action plan the city adopted to satisfy state mandates for reducing greenhouse gases. The San Diego City Council voted unanimously to approve the plan in December. To meet California’s tough requirements, the plan sets five broad goals that … Continue reading “San Diego Organizes Smart City Hackathon to Achieve Climate Plan”
Interior Design Startup Havenly Adds $5.8M to Series A
On-demand interior design startup Havenly is adding $5.8 million to a Series A funding the Denver-based company announced in November—bringing the round to $13.3 million total. Havenly wasn’t actively seeking more funding, according to a spokeswoman. The latest financing was instead brought on by new investor interest, she says. The add-on was led by San … Continue reading “Interior Design Startup Havenly Adds $5.8M to Series A”
OpenView Backs Corporate Training Software Startup Lesson.ly
As companies grow, employees naturally amass a treasure trove of useful habits that help them do their jobs better. But spreading that tribal knowledge across the company isn’t always easy or efficient. That’s one of the problems Lesson.ly has been trying to solve with Web-based learning automation software that centralizes a company’s policies and best … Continue reading “OpenView Backs Corporate Training Software Startup Lesson.ly”
The Xconversation: Vaccine Developer Meets Energy Innovator, Part I
What do vaccines have to do with batteries? Let your mind’s eye travel to the cellular membrane, where a ligand is enveloped by a receptor, spurring a subtle change in the cell. (Bear with me.) In some respects, it’s similar to what’s happening inside a battery when electrolytes interact with engineered materials to cause a … Continue reading “The Xconversation: Vaccine Developer Meets Energy Innovator, Part I”
Is Money Everything? Behind the Scenes of Tech Hiring
Have you tried to hire a software developer recently? The current job market is bananas! It’s crazy in Boston. New York City is booming with tech startups. In Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, the cost of living is exploding as salaries in the tech sector grow. It’s getting more expensive every year to hire … Continue reading “Is Money Everything? Behind the Scenes of Tech Hiring”
Selling Former Perot Systems Means $3B in Cash For Dell’s EMC Buyout
Austin—Dell is now at least a few billion dollars closer to its $67 billion buyout of Hopkinton, MA-based EMC. The Round Rock, TX-based computing giant is selling its IT services business for more than $3 billion to NTT Data Corp., a publicly traded company that was spun out from Japanese telecom Nippon Telegraph and Telephone … Continue reading “Selling Former Perot Systems Means $3B in Cash For Dell’s EMC Buyout”
U-M Spinout Virta Labs Awarded $750K for Healthcare Security Tech
Virta Laboratories, the healthcare security startup spun out of the University of Michigan, today announced it has received a $750,000 small business innovation research [SBIR] grant from the federal government to expand its commercialization efforts. This is Virta Labs’ second SBIR grant; it snagged a smaller, phase one award in 2015. Established in 2014, Virta … Continue reading “U-M Spinout Virta Labs Awarded $750K for Healthcare Security Tech”
Sisense Plans Another US Office As It Scales Up in Big Data Analytics
There is a race on to develop analytics software that can turn the vast amounts of data generated these days into something useful for businesses—and it will likely get harder to keep up. Not only is there more data to deal with, new sources of information continue to emerge, further complicating the matter, says Amir … Continue reading “Sisense Plans Another US Office As It Scales Up in Big Data Analytics”
Hopper Snags $16M to Accelerate Flight-Search App’s Growth
[Updated 12/15/16, 8:06 am. See below.] Hopper spent several years building a travel discovery website powered by a gigantic trove of data, only to switch gears in favor of an app that helps consumers find and book cheap flights. It’s still early, but that decision seems to be bearing fruit. More than 3 million people have … Continue reading “Hopper Snags $16M to Accelerate Flight-Search App’s Growth”
Shark Tank, Blockchain, & Water Tech: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist
Kick off the week by checking out these recent headlines from Wisconsin’s innovation community: —MobCraft Beer co-founder Henry Schwartz appeared on “Shark Tank”—a show on the ABC network in which entrepreneurs pitch ideas to investors—but there was no deal reached, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Kevin O’Leary, one of the “sharks” to whom Schwartz pitched, … Continue reading “Shark Tank, Blockchain, & Water Tech: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”
Kuvée Gulps $6M For Smart Wine Bottle as Keurig Model Proliferates
Keurig’s popular single-serve coffee makers have inspired a host of startups trying to replicate the approach with smoothies, craft beer, cocktails, soup, and more. Convince people that purchasing your appliance will make their lives easier, the theory goes, and they won’t mind getting locked into buying a steady supply of the desired goods from your … Continue reading “Kuvée Gulps $6M For Smart Wine Bottle as Keurig Model Proliferates”
With New Data, Alder Keeps Pace in Migraine Drug Race
[Updated, 4:39 pm, see below] There aren’t many effective treatments out there for the millions of Americans who suffer from migraines. But over the past few years, a new class of drugs that might actually prevent these debilitating headaches from occurring—rather than just mute them when they happen—has been inching towards the market. One of … Continue reading “With New Data, Alder Keeps Pace in Migraine Drug Race”
Emulate Gets $28M to Roll Out “Plug and Play” Organ-on-Chip Tech
One step at a time, Emulate has been trying to use microchip systems to simulate organs and diseases for testing—a lung with asthma or dangerous fluid buildup, and perhaps someday a brain with Alzheimer’s. It’s part of an ambitious goal of helping to change preclinical drug development and improve the efficiency of drug-making. Now Emulate … Continue reading “Emulate Gets $28M to Roll Out “Plug and Play” Organ-on-Chip Tech”
How VR, AR Innovation Can Finally Fulfill Its Potential
This post was co-authored by Matt McIlwain, managing director, Madrona Venture Group, and Steve Seitz, professor of computer science and engineering at University of Washington and “teleportation lead” at Google. Virtual reality (VR), which immerses the user in the virtual world, and augmented reality (AR), which overlays digital information onto the physical world, are being … Continue reading “How VR, AR Innovation Can Finally Fulfill Its Potential”
Appthority Flags Bad Apps, Recruits Employees As Cyber Defenders
Employers shifting their operations to mobile computing have opened the door to BYOD—telling employees it’s OK to Bring Your Own Device and use it for work tasks. Employees have extended that to BYOA–Bring Your Own Apps, says San Francisco security company Appthority in its latest mobile threat report. Workers, just like consumers, download apps without … Continue reading “Appthority Flags Bad Apps, Recruits Employees As Cyber Defenders”
Seattle Week in Review: The March Madness of an Impressionable Teen AI
Where to begin with this week? Funny-not-funny #ManInTree, funding news from Convoy and a new AI startup, DimensionalMechanics, and the teen chatbot from Microsoft corrupted by the Internet over the course of a day? At least we’ve got hoops (and long odds). Here now, Xconomy Seattle’s Week in Review: —Microsoft has received more attention in … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: The March Madness of an Impressionable Teen AI”
As Equity Crowdfunding Debuts in U.S., Will More Regulations Follow?
Ready or not, equity crowdfunding is coming to the U.S. this spring. The funding mechanism allows companies to sell shares of their firms to the general public (not just accredited investors) through online portals. The practice has already gained traction in places like the U.K. in recent years, but it has taken a while to … Continue reading “As Equity Crowdfunding Debuts in U.S., Will More Regulations Follow?”
What Can Madison Learn From Seattle? Q&A With the New Head of WARF
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation announced on Wednesday that it had selected Erik Iverson as its new managing director. WARF, which manages patents and licensing for the University of Wisconsin-Madison—the state’s largest academic research institution—has since 2000 been led by Carl Gulbrandsen, who will be retiring on June 30 (Iverson’s official start date is July … Continue reading “What Can Madison Learn From Seattle? Q&A With the New Head of WARF”
West Coast Bio Roundup: Gilead, Affymetrix, Acutus, Frazier & More
Gilead Sciences is back at the top of our chart for the second week in a row. After halting trials last week in the United States and Europe over its cancer drug idelalisib, a federal jury in San Jose, CA, upheld the validity of two Merck patents this week in a case that could force … Continue reading “West Coast Bio Roundup: Gilead, Affymetrix, Acutus, Frazier & More”
Houston University Names Director for New Superconductor Institute
Houston — The University of Houston has announced the first director for its new Advanced Superconductor Manufacturing Institute. Syed Ahmed, a 20-year veteran of Southern California Edison who worked on projects such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s High Temperature Superconductivity Initiative, has taken on the Houston role. The institute, which received a $500,000 planning … Continue reading “Houston University Names Director for New Superconductor Institute”
Google Grows, Will Join Amazon in Seattle’s South Lake Union
Google plans to move and expand its Seattle offices from the Fremont neighborhood to South Lake Union, best known today for Amazon’s ever-growing corporate headquarters. Vulcan, the business empire of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and developer of most of the South Lake Union neighborhood over the last decade, is planning four buildings with some 607,000 … Continue reading “Google Grows, Will Join Amazon in Seattle’s South Lake Union”
Layoffs Reflect New Turbulence at High-Flying 3D Robotics
3D Robotics, the drone maker that began life in Tijuana and San Diego, has been consolidating its operations after stumbling in its bid to go head-to-head against China’s DJI, the world’s biggest maker of consumer drones. In an interview yesterday afternoon with Xconomy, CEO Chris Anderson confirmed that 3DR has been reorganizing to focus its … Continue reading “Layoffs Reflect New Turbulence at High-Flying 3D Robotics”
Restructuring Looms for Forum as Neuro Drug Fails Key Clinical Test
Forum Pharmaceuticals has been pursuing a more than decade-long quest to develop a drug that might help people with a variety of neurological disorders to think more clearly. Unfortunately, however, it’s come up short in its biggest test to date—two large Phase 3 clinical trials in patients with schizophrenia. Waltham, MA-based Forum revealed the topline … Continue reading “Restructuring Looms for Forum as Neuro Drug Fails Key Clinical Test”
San Antonio’s Merge VR Talks Consumer Interest in Virtual Reality
San Antonio — There’s been chatter for a few years about when virtual reality will go mainstream. That day may already be here or, at the very least, near. VR was one of a few technologies to capture much of the attention at 2016’s South by Southwest. It’s growing increasingly common for personal use, with … Continue reading “San Antonio’s Merge VR Talks Consumer Interest in Virtual Reality”
Former Gates Foundation Lawyer Tapped As WARF’s New Managing Director
Erik Iverson, an attorney whose career stops include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been named the next managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which manages patents and licensing of intellectual property for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Iverson, 47, currently serves as president of business and operations for the Infectious Disease Research … Continue reading “Former Gates Foundation Lawyer Tapped As WARF’s New Managing Director”
Roundup: U-M “Me-Search,” Zoetis, Rockwell Medical in China & More
Here’s a look at startup and innovation news from around Michigan: —Multiple departments across the University of Michigan and its medical school are participating in the Michigan Microbiome Project, with a mission to study the structure, functions, and dynamics of the human microbiome, as well as how the microbiome can be managed to improve a … Continue reading “Roundup: U-M “Me-Search,” Zoetis, Rockwell Medical in China & More”
AppDirect Buys Xendo, Adds Search Option Across Users’ Cloud Apps
In a move aimed at making life simpler for Web-based software subscribers, AppDirect is buying San Francisco startup Xendo, which allows app users to search through all their online programs at once for the files or facts they need. With a Xendo search, users who have forgotten whether they stored a document in Box or … Continue reading “AppDirect Buys Xendo, Adds Search Option Across Users’ Cloud Apps”
Gerngross, Singer Join “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech” on April 6
We’re now less than two weeks away from our annual biotech bash in Boston, but we’ve got a few new tidbits to share—two new speakers have come aboard to round out the program. The first new name is Tillman Gerngross, the Dartmouth College professor, founder of antibody shop Adimab, and scientist-turned-scientific businessman, as we wrote … Continue reading “Gerngross, Singer Join “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech” on April 6”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Harvard’s Haul, Patent Fights, Padlock & More
Biotech news on the East Coast runs the gamut this week, from financings to buyouts, a record licensing deal, a new startup, and some high-stakes patent fights. Let’s get right to it. —Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) this week paid Harvard University $20 million up front to license a group of potential cancer drugs from the labs … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Harvard’s Haul, Patent Fights, Padlock & More”
CRISPR And Beyond: UCSD-Doudna Work Attracts Paul Allen’s Millions
CRISPR-Cas9 is well known, by people who follow science and some who don’t, as the new DNA editing tool that one day might cure genetic diseases or lead to designer babies. Or both. Whether those headline-grabbing scenarios come true, or CRISPR-Cas9 just remains a useful tool for all kinds of biological research, one thing is … Continue reading “CRISPR And Beyond: UCSD-Doudna Work Attracts Paul Allen’s Millions”
Envisia Gets $16.5M More to Back Extended-Release Eye Drugs
Investors in Envisia Therapeutics are pumping $16.5 million more into the eye drug developer to carry the company’s lead candidate, a potential glaucoma treatment, through mid-stage clinical trials. Envisia’s new financing adds to the $25 million Series A round the Research Triangle Park, NC-based company initially raised in 2013. At that time, Envisia was spun … Continue reading “Envisia Gets $16.5M More to Back Extended-Release Eye Drugs”
AT&T Aims to Apply Foundry Model to Health IT in Houston
Plano, TX — Innovation in health IT can be as simple as a connected first-aid kit. The kit would sense when an item, say, Band-Aids, are low and wirelessly connect to the Internet to place an order and have it delivered. The idea of a medicine cabinet staple, souped up for the information age, is … Continue reading “AT&T Aims to Apply Foundry Model to Health IT in Houston”
Latest MA-NY Deals: GreatHorn, Tinkergarten, Greentown Labs, NYC ACRE
Massachusetts and New York are bitter sports rivals, but when it comes to business, the exchanges often end in handshakes, not heckling. Here are some of the latest examples of partnerships happening along the Northeast corridor: —GreatHorn, a Belmont, MA-based provider of security software for cloud communications (think Google apps and Microsoft Office 365), snagged … Continue reading “Latest MA-NY Deals: GreatHorn, Tinkergarten, Greentown Labs, NYC ACRE”
Quanterix Expands in Diagnostics With $46M in New Cash
A quick update on a life sciences company we’ve been watching for years. Lexington, MA-based Quanterix has secured $46 million in Series D financing, led by new investors Arch Overage Fund, Cormorant Asset Management, and Trinitas Capital. Some of the company’s previous investors—Arch Venture Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, Tufts University, and co-founder David Walt (a … Continue reading “Quanterix Expands in Diagnostics With $46M in New Cash”
As Pharma Deals Progress, Propeller Health Sharpens Its Strategy
By teaming up with larger, more established companies, startups can avoid having to reinvent the wheel—or, in the case of Propeller Health, the inhaler. Madison, WI-based Propeller Health says that it and Boehringer Ingelheim, a German pharmaceutical giant whose products include the Respimat inhaler, have taken a key step forward in their joint effort to … Continue reading “As Pharma Deals Progress, Propeller Health Sharpens Its Strategy”
Tarveda Formally Spins Out Placon to Advance Platinum Cancer Drugs
Blend Therapeutics rebranded at “Tarveda Therapeutics” a few months ago to reflect the strategic change the company underwent in 2015. A prospective cancer drug was spun into a new startup as part of that undertaking, and today, that company—Placon Therapeutics—has formally launched. Placon, based in Cambridge, MA, is advancing what had been Tarveda’s lead drug, … Continue reading “Tarveda Formally Spins Out Placon to Advance Platinum Cancer Drugs”
With $25M, Science Exchange’s Marketplace Is No Longer An Experiment
Internet companies like Airbnb, Uber, and TaskRabbit have helped people turn the extra capacity in their homes, cars, and personal downtime into a revenue stream, then taken their cut of it. Palo Alto, CA-based Science Exchange has brought the sharing economy to biomedical labs, letting scientists in academia, government, and all sizes of companies shop … Continue reading “With $25M, Science Exchange’s Marketplace Is No Longer An Experiment”
Gilman Scores for Atlas Again as Bristol Buys Padlock for up to $600M
For the second time in just over four years, former Biogen research executive Michael Gilman has steered a startup towards a buyout. This time, it’s Padlock Therapeutics, a fledgling developer of autoimmune disease drugs that’s about to join Bristol-Myers Squibb’s portfolio. Bristol (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) has agreed to acquire Padlock in a deal that could be … Continue reading “Gilman Scores for Atlas Again as Bristol Buys Padlock for up to $600M”
Duo Security and GTRI Partner on International STEM Talent Event
Dozens of international students finishing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields were on hand at Duo Security’s Ann Arbor, MI, office last week for a tech talent matchmaking event sponsored by the Michigan Global Talent Retention Initiative (GTRI) and Global Detroit. The event was the first in a series designed to connect … Continue reading “Duo Security and GTRI Partner on International STEM Talent Event”
Dear Biopharma: Give Us Better Therapies for Pain
The CDC released on March 15th new guidelines that advise strict limits on the prescription of opioids for pain. These guidelines respond to a stunning increase in deaths and addiction related to the prescription of opioids like OxyContin and Percocet. The CDC recommended against providing patients more than a seven-day supply of opioids for acute … Continue reading “Dear Biopharma: Give Us Better Therapies for Pain”
NY Bio Startup Syntimmune Gets $10M From Baxalta, Apple Tree
New York biotech is still a ways away from the life sciences startup factories in Boston and San Francisco. But the last few months have shown that some investment firms are willing to fund and grow new biotechs in Manhattan—the latest being a company called Syntimmune. Syntimmune hadn’t made an announcement since it was formed … Continue reading “NY Bio Startup Syntimmune Gets $10M From Baxalta, Apple Tree”
Propel Buys ThriveHive as Digital Marketing Firms Consolidate
HubSpot, Marketo, and Eloqua—now part of Oracle—represent a previous generation of marketing-tech companies. Now there’s a new crop, and it’s starting to make some noise around Boston. Propel Marketing, based in Quincy, MA, says today it has acquired ThriveHive, a 25-person startup in Cambridge, MA, for $11.8 million in cash. Both companies focus on digital … Continue reading “Propel Buys ThriveHive as Digital Marketing Firms Consolidate”
Acutus Medical Raises $75M to Map Abnormal Currents of the Heart
Acutus Medical, a suburban San Diego medical device maker with new technology for diagnosing and treating irregular heartbeats, said today it has closed on $75 million in Series C funding. The all-equity round includes new investors Deerfield Management, Xeraya Capital, and an undisclosed strategic investor. Advent Life Sciences, the company’s founding investor, also joined the … Continue reading “Acutus Medical Raises $75M to Map Abnormal Currents of the Heart”
Big Data Meets Big Biology in San Diego, and Tickets Are Going Fast
Less than 15 tickets remain for next week’s Xconomy forum on Big Data Meets Big Biology. Join innovators in both data science and the life sciences on March 31st as they discuss how they are combining forces to solve some of the most-deeply entrenched problems in genomics, digital health, and other fast-growing life sciences fields. … Continue reading “Big Data Meets Big Biology in San Diego, and Tickets Are Going Fast”
DraftKings, FanDuel Cease New York Operations, Eye Legislation
DraftKings and FanDuel have stopped operating paid online fantasy sports contests in New York as part of a deal with the state’s attorney general. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has been trying to shut down the daily fantasy sports sites since late last year, when he issued a cease-and-desist letter and a state court … Continue reading “DraftKings, FanDuel Cease New York Operations, Eye Legislation”
Holland-Based MDC Scores $1M Round for Absorbable Orthopedic Device
Holland, MI-based medical device startup Magnesium Development Company (MDC) announced earlier this month that it has raised a $1 million seed round. Start Garden’s venture fund and Genesis Innovation Group led the round. MDC plans to use the money to embark on the next phase of pre-clinical testing for its lead product, BioMg 250. The … Continue reading “Holland-Based MDC Scores $1M Round for Absorbable Orthopedic Device”