San Diego’s HardTech Labs has named Michael Mendez as CTO and managing partner—a move that immediately raises the profile of a new life sciences accelerator taking shape at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. The La Jolla Institute and HardTech Labs said in December they are working together to establish the startup accelerator … Continue reading “HardTech Labs Names Veteran Biotech Scientist as Accelerator’s CTO”
Category: National
New York’s Life Science Disruptors on March 29: Here’s the Agenda
We’re now less than a month away from bringing the New York biotech scene together once again for our annual life sciences event. Today you can have a sneak peek at the details. On March 29, we’re hosting “New York’s Life Science Disruptors” at the Apella Event Space at the Alexandria Center for Life Science … Continue reading “New York’s Life Science Disruptors on March 29: Here’s the Agenda”
MI Roundup: Automation Alley, Baker College, Google DevFest, & More
Here’s a look at startup and innovation news from around Michigan: —Automation Alley, a Southeast Michigan technology business association, has released its annual economic report, and it contains a bold prediction: The region will outperform Silicon Valley in several key areas, including revenue, R&D investment, and hiring. To compile the report, Automation Alley surveyed senior … Continue reading “MI Roundup: Automation Alley, Baker College, Google DevFest, & More”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Ribon, Syndax, Aldeyra & More
Who will take up the charge of leading New York biotech? That’s an important question going forward in the wake of two recent big losses for the Big Apple’s life sciences scene. Both Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Rockefeller University’s president, and Laurie Glimcher, Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College, have agreed to take on new jobs elsewhere. … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Ribon, Syndax, Aldeyra & More”
Boston Startup LTG Grabs Money For Standardized Test Prep Apps
Studying for standardized tests like the SAT can be expensive and tedious, with students (and their parents) shelling out hundreds of dollars for classes or private tutors. With its set of mobile apps, Boston edtech startup LTG Exam Prep Platform is trying to deliver a cheaper, more convenient, and more personalized alternative to traditional test … Continue reading “Boston Startup LTG Grabs Money For Standardized Test Prep Apps”
Spurned in Duchenne, BioMarin Will Seek Approval For Batten Drug
BioMarin Pharmaceutical, a developer of treatments for rare diseases, struck out in a recent attempt to have a drug approved for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Now it’s taking another swing with a drug for a different genetic disease, one that strikes children a couple years after birth, debilitates their bodies and minds, and proves deadly by … Continue reading “Spurned in Duchenne, BioMarin Will Seek Approval For Batten Drug”
Stealthy MIT Spinout Ribon, Led by a Sanofi Vet, Takes Aim at Cancer
Two years ago, AstraZeneca became the first company to win approval of a new type of cancer drug known as a “PARP” inhibitor. A lot of competition has followed suit, and now it looks as if a new startup from MIT called Ribon Therapeutics—headed by a former Sanofi executive and backed by three different venture … Continue reading “Stealthy MIT Spinout Ribon, Led by a Sanofi Vet, Takes Aim at Cancer”
Art on the Moon: Contemplating Culture as a Space-faring Species
Let’s say you’re the first artist sent to space. You have a $500,000 budget, up to 60 kilograms of supplies, and 12 hours on the surface of the Moon to execute your vision, with the help of one astronaut assistant. What mark will you make on behalf of humanity? Dozens of answers from artists in … Continue reading “Art on the Moon: Contemplating Culture as a Space-faring Species”
Syndax Cuts Price But Bags $53M in Second IPO Try
Over the past year, Syndax Pharmaceuticals has altered its strategic course and hired new management to implement it. And it looks like that change was big enough to propel Waltham, MA-based Syndax through the IPO queue on its second attempt since late 2014—albeit not on the terms the company had hoped for. Syndax sold 4.4 … Continue reading “Syndax Cuts Price But Bags $53M in Second IPO Try”
Famed Cryptographers, Turing Awardees Back Apple at RSA Conference
No surprise—the conflict between Apple and the FBI is dominating many sessions at the big RSA Conference in San Francisco this week. Some of the most intriguing comments came from a panel of distinguished cryptographers, including Whitfield Diffie, former chief security officer of Sun Microsystems, and Stanford professor Martin Hellman. On the RSA stage before … Continue reading “Famed Cryptographers, Turing Awardees Back Apple at RSA Conference”
Tech Savvy Students, Women Founders, & Government Transparency at NYTM
It seems there was no escaping talk of government Tuesday night even at the New York Tech Meetup—but at least the focus was on how to make technology work rather than dysfunctional politics. The demos at the monthly gathering included three teams of high schoolers who created apps and websites under the Code/Interactive program, software that … Continue reading “Tech Savvy Students, Women Founders, & Government Transparency at NYTM”
Making the Web More Open: Drupal Creator Floats an “FDA for Data”
When Dries Buytaert created the open-source Web publishing system Drupal in his college dorm room in Belgium 15 years ago, the ways people interacted with the Internet looked a lot different. Google was still a small private company. Facebook, Twitter, and the iPhone didn’t exist. Only 7 percent of the world’s population had Internet access. … Continue reading “Making the Web More Open: Drupal Creator Floats an “FDA for Data””
Proximetry Teams Up with GE on Industrial Internet Technology
San Diego-based Proximetry, which specializes in software used to manage critical devices in the Internet of Things (IoT), said it has begun working to integrate its technology with Predix, GE’s cloud platform for the industrial Internet. Under a new partnership with GE Digital, Proximetry said it worked with GE engineers to develop Predix EdgeManager, technology … Continue reading “Proximetry Teams Up with GE on Industrial Internet Technology”
Trinity Entrepreneur Program Grows Alongside San Antonio Startups
San Antonio — At a small university just north of downtown San Antonio, there are a few dozen students that, every semester, everyone expects will fail. Don’t worry, it’s nothing nefarious. For the students studying at Trinity University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, experiencing a failure is almost a requisite for someone who wants to … Continue reading “Trinity Entrepreneur Program Grows Alongside San Antonio Startups”
FAST Act Offers More Goodies to Emerging Growth Companies
Once again proving that you can’t judge a gift by its box, emerging growth companies (EGCs) received a pleasant, but oddly wrapped, surprise in December with the enactment of a new law authorizing spending on highway and transit projects. Although adopted with less fanfare than the JOBS Act, the new FAST Act (that’s short for … Continue reading “FAST Act Offers More Goodies to Emerging Growth Companies”
JLabs @ TMC Opens Houston Campus, Home to 21 Biotech Startups
Houston — Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s newest JLabs incubator opens in Houston today with a class of 21 resident biotech companies pursuing innovation in health IT, medical devices, and drugs. Called “JLABS @ TMC,” the facility is located within the Texas Medical Center’s Innovation Institute, which includes TMCx, the medical center’s life sciences accelerator. AT&T (NYSE: [[ticker:T]]) … Continue reading “JLabs @ TMC Opens Houston Campus, Home to 21 Biotech Startups”
PawnGuru Takes Process of Buying, Selling, and Negotiating Online
Anyone who has watched “Hardcore Pawn”—the reality show set in Detroit that follows the Gold family, owners of American Jewelry and Loan—knows that getting a fair price for the stuff they want to sell can be a challenge. One has to first bring an item to pawn that is considered attractive to pawnshop owners, and … Continue reading “PawnGuru Takes Process of Buying, Selling, and Negotiating Online”
Cengage Continues Down Edtech Path, Unveils Remedial Math Software
Education’s ongoing shift toward digital content and learning experiences has pushed entrenched textbook publishers to try to reinvent themselves as software companies. Boston-based Cengage Learning, one of those industry stalwarts, seems to be making progress on that transformation. CEO Michael Hansen projects that digital products will make up the majority of Cengage’s revenue within two … Continue reading “Cengage Continues Down Edtech Path, Unveils Remedial Math Software”
Roambi CEO Says SAP Purchase a Good Fit for Data Visualization App
As part of a new push to offer predictive analytics as a cloud-based service to its big business customers, the German multinational software giant SAP has acquired Roambi, the suburban San Diego creator of mobile apps that convert business data into compelling graphic displays. Financial terms were not disclosed. SAP described the deal as an … Continue reading “Roambi CEO Says SAP Purchase a Good Fit for Data Visualization App”
Austin Biotech Savara Nets $20M in Series C for Phase 3 Study
Austin — [Corrected 3/1/16, 11:27 p.m. See below.] A year after releasing results from a Phase 2 clinical trial, Savara Pharmaceuticals has announced $20 million in Series C funding that it will use to take its inhaled version of an antibiotic to Phase 3. Savara, based in Austin, TX, plans to begin enrollment in the Phase … Continue reading “Austin Biotech Savara Nets $20M in Series C for Phase 3 Study”
Swallow Solutions, Upcoming Pitches Headline This Week’s WI Watchlist
Ring in the month of March with news from Wisconsin’s innovation community: —A device made by the Madison-based startup Swallow Solutions “may be an effective treatment for older adults with dysphagia,” a difficulty swallowing often caused by weak mouth and throat muscles, and could result in fewer hospital readmissions for patients. That’s according to a … Continue reading “Swallow Solutions, Upcoming Pitches Headline This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Station Houston Aims to Boost Startups, City’s Tech Ecosystem
Houston — This week marks the launch of Station Houston, a new hybrid accelerator and co-working space aimed at boosting the city’s young technology companies. Station—so named as a homage the railroad companies that helped build a booming 19th-century Houston—is founded by Emily Keeton, a Houstonian who returned to the city after she sold her food … Continue reading “Station Houston Aims to Boost Startups, City’s Tech Ecosystem”
Seattle’s Life Science Disruptors Take The Stage on May 2
We’re gearing up for Xconomy’s annual Seattle life sciences forum. It’s happening on the afternoon of Monday, May 2, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and we’ve already got some big names, fresh faces, and cutting-edge ideas to share with you. Seattle’s dense confluence of biotechnology, medicine, information technology, and public health expertise, all … Continue reading “Seattle’s Life Science Disruptors Take The Stage on May 2”
Andela and Codementor Collaborate to Help Train Coders in Africa
New York-based Andela and Codementor, an alumnus of Techstars and Y Combinator, announced Tuesday they have formed a partnership to train aspiring coders in Africa. Andela, which finds software developer prospects across Africa, will train and help place the entry-level coders at jobs with U.S. companies. Once placed, Codementor, a Mountain View, CA-based marketplace for … Continue reading “Andela and Codementor Collaborate to Help Train Coders in Africa”
Unequal Pay: The Worst and Best Cities for Women in Tech
It’s no secret that a wage gap exists between men and women, and that there are groups working to narrow the divide. But did you know that the disparity of pay between male and female workers, in the tech field at least, is larger in some areas of the country than others? While that much … Continue reading “Unequal Pay: The Worst and Best Cities for Women in Tech”
Wayfair, Amazon Led Boston Tech’s 2015 Hiring Binge—What’s Next?
Boston-area software companies just capped off their busiest year of hiring since 2012, but there are signs of a possible slowdown on the horizon. Local digital-tech companies added approximately 755 net new jobs in the fourth quarter last year, according to the most recent quarterly study of local data compiled by John Barrett, a Boston-area … Continue reading “Wayfair, Amazon Led Boston Tech’s 2015 Hiring Binge—What’s Next?”
On Comeback Trail, Exelixis Reels In $200M Deal For Cancer Drug
Cancer drug developer Exelixis continued its comeback, announcing Monday a deal with Ipsen that will pay the South San Francisco, CA-based biotech $200 million upfront. Ipsen, of Paris, will receive rights to the Exelixis drug cabozantinib (Cometriq) around the world except in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. Ipsen will also pay Exelixis $60 million if … Continue reading “On Comeback Trail, Exelixis Reels In $200M Deal For Cancer Drug”
With Eye Drug Data, Aldeyra Takes a Small Step Forward in Inflammation
One of biotech’s biggest Wall Street winners on Monday was one of its smaller outfits—a Lexington, MA-based biotech called Aldeyra Therapeutics. It’s no surprise if you haven’t heard of Aldeyra (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALDX]]). The company went public two years ago with one of the smaller biotech IPOs in recent memory, netting $10.1 million. It has a … Continue reading “With Eye Drug Data, Aldeyra Takes a Small Step Forward in Inflammation”
Social Media Week Recap: Startups to Watch & No End to Entrepreneurship
Even if hard times are ahead, founders will continue to crank out ideas and chase funding. That was the sentiment of Tim Devane, principal with New York- and Boston-based seed fund NextView Ventures. He spoke late last week during the Startups to Watch session of the Social Media Week conference in New York, where ten … Continue reading “Social Media Week Recap: Startups to Watch & No End to Entrepreneurship”
Super Tuesday Is For Kids, Too: Newsela Opens Voting To Students
Among the thousands of Americans who will cast ballots in the slew of presidential primary elections tomorrow, a significant number know that their votes won’t ever be counted by state officials. They know they’re powerless to help their favorite candidates win. Yet people are still urging them to go to the polls on Super Tuesday, … Continue reading “Super Tuesday Is For Kids, Too: Newsela Opens Voting To Students”
It Takes Guts: Blue Turtle Bio on Treating Gaucher with Microbes
In 2012, Nilesh Joshi walked into the offices of Wayne State University’s Blackstone LaunchPad program with a startup idea in need of validation. At the time, he was working to develop bio-manufacturing processes for chemicals derived from cellulose-based feedstock. Joshi signed on to work with Blackstone’s startup coaches and soon developed a rapport with Adham … Continue reading “It Takes Guts: Blue Turtle Bio on Treating Gaucher with Microbes”
Boston Tech Watch: Telehealth, Fantasy Sports, Cleantech, More
This week in Boston tech, we’re tracking a win for DraftKings and the daily fantasy sports industry, a pair of cleantech announcements, Wayfair’s rapid expansion, and more. Read on for details. —Virginia’s legislature became the first to pass a bill regulating daily fantasy sports, despite concerns from gambling support organizations that argue the proposal doesn’t … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Telehealth, Fantasy Sports, Cleantech, More”
IBM Confirms Resilient Systems Acquisition; No Terms Yet
In a deal that Xconomy was first to report on last week, IBM Security confirmed it plans to acquire Resilient Systems, a Cambridge, MA-based cybersecurity startup with about 100 employees. The financial terms and structure weren’t disclosed, but one source with knowledge of the deal previously told me the price is north of $100 million. … Continue reading “IBM Confirms Resilient Systems Acquisition; No Terms Yet”
Precision BioSciences, Chimerix, Spreedly, & More NC Innovation News
Here are the highlights from a busy week in North Carolina biotech, tech, and cleantech news. —Precision BioSciences inked a deal with Baxalta (NYSE: [[ticker:BXLT]]) that pays the Durham biotech company $105 million up front and up to $1.6 billion, plus royalties, if the partnership successfully develops new cancer immunotherapies. Key to the deal is … Continue reading “Precision BioSciences, Chimerix, Spreedly, & More NC Innovation News”
New UniEnergy Investor Bullish on Storage, But Prices Must Drop
UniEnergy Technologies (UET), the grid-scale battery maker based north of Seattle, began 2016 with a fresh $25 million funding round from investors including Orix, a Japanese financial services firm with business lines in renewable energy project development and energy storage. Last week, Orix executive vice president Yuichi Nishigori (pictured) visited UET and spoke to clean energy advocates … Continue reading “New UniEnergy Investor Bullish on Storage, But Prices Must Drop”
New York City: En Route to a Bio Cluster
Marc Tessier-Lavigne was the first Rockefeller University president to come from industry when he left a top job at Genentech in 2011 to move on to Manhattan’s East Side. In his five years running Rockefeller, Tessier-Lavigne was a staunch advocate of New York City’s life sciences scene, believing in its potential to rise as the … Continue reading “New York City: En Route to a Bio Cluster”
Seattle Week in Review: Tradeoffs in Wi-Fi, Solar, Self-driving Cars
Sneak out for a run on one of the first springlike days of the year, or stay inside and finish that project? Connect via Wi-Fi or save your phone’s battery? Own your own self-driving car or join a transportation network? Meet with a potential customer or order beer for your event next week? We all … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Tradeoffs in Wi-Fi, Solar, Self-driving Cars”
Exact Sciences Axes Lung Cancer Partnership With MD Anderson
After less than a year, Exact Sciences has terminated a partnership with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center aimed at developing blood-based diagnostic tests for lung cancer. The decision to nix the agreement was mutual, MD Anderson’s Sam Hanash said in an e-mail to Xconomy. Hanash is a physician and researcher at the … Continue reading “Exact Sciences Axes Lung Cancer Partnership With MD Anderson”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Alfred Mann, ResMed, Illumina, & More
President Obama unfurled key aspects of his year-old Precision Medicine Initiative yesterday at a White House summit. A central concept of the initiative is to collect detailed health and genomic data from 1 million volunteers across the U.S., and put that information into a database that can be used to help doctors find the optimal … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Alfred Mann, ResMed, Illumina, & More”
MIT Spinout Arctic Sand Surges With $19M From Murata, GE, Others
Arctic Sand Technologies announced Thursday it raised $19 million to boost its business selling power conversion semiconductors used in mobile devices and data centers. The Cambridge, MA-based company’s Series B round was led by Murata Manufacturing, along with co-investors GE Ventures, Northwater Capital and Arsenal Venture Partners. Arctic Sand raised $9.6 million in a Series … Continue reading “MIT Spinout Arctic Sand Surges With $19M From Murata, GE, Others”
Roundup: Lucid, Honest Dollar, Hatch, UT Gaming Academy, & Civic Tech
Happy Friday, friends. Before you start your weekend planning, let’s take a look back at the innovation news from Xconomy Texas this past week. Featured innovation: —Austin, TX entrepreneur William Hurley found a surprising niche of customers while launching his fintech startup Honest Dollar last year: the footsoldiers of the gig economy. Now, in addition … Continue reading “Roundup: Lucid, Honest Dollar, Hatch, UT Gaming Academy, & Civic Tech”
Code/Interactive Hosts Its First-Ever Diversity in Tech Awards
A celebration makes for a good reason to reflect on work that still needs to be done. Last night in New York, Code/Interactive held the city’s first Diversity in Tech Awards to honor standout students and advocates who have been shaking up the homogeny in the technology scene. Code/Interactive is a Bronx-based nonprofit organization that brings education … Continue reading “Code/Interactive Hosts Its First-Ever Diversity in Tech Awards”
Soon-Shiong Makes Case for “Cancer MoonShot” at Biocom Conference
The billionaire scientist Patrick Soon-Shiong came to San Diego yesterday to lay out his plans for a “Cancer MoonShot 2020.” Soon-Shiong, a surgeon and serial life sciences entrepreneur, has emerged in recent weeks as the driving force behind an ambitious quest to create a next-generation cancer immunotherapy platform over the next four years. To support … Continue reading “Soon-Shiong Makes Case for “Cancer MoonShot” at Biocom Conference”
Neurable Uses Thoughts to Control 3D Objects. Are Video Games Next?
When Ramses Eduardo Alcaide-Aguirre was eight years old, his uncle was involved in a devastating car accident and lost the use of his legs. Seeing his uncle struggle with what were once mundane tasks had a big impact on young Alcaide. “It made me want to help people with disabilities,” he recalled. That desire to … Continue reading “Neurable Uses Thoughts to Control 3D Objects. Are Video Games Next?”
Signifyd Raises $20M For E-Commerce Fraud Shield
Fraud detection company Signifyd announced today it has raised $20 million to expand the service it developed to help merchants avoid a costly downside of selling online—having to pay back credit card customers for purchases they didn’t authorize. San Jose, CA-based Signifyd says its machine learning technology can flag shoppers using someone else’s card without … Continue reading “Signifyd Raises $20M For E-Commerce Fraud Shield”
Emissions May Rise if Self-Driving Cars Become Too Convenient
If a road trip from Seattle to Portland meant three hours of focused work rather than gripping the wheel and gritting your teeth through traffic, would you be more likely to go by car than take the train, plane, or bus? That’s one scenario that could cause a transition to fully automated self-driving cars to … Continue reading “Emissions May Rise if Self-Driving Cars Become Too Convenient”
BioAffinity Aims to Revive Cancer Diagnostic in San Antonio
San Antonio — For bioAffinity, a company that relocated its diagnostic research program to San Antonio two years ago, the proof is in the sputum. BioAffinity, the maker of a diagnostic test that is currently focused on lung cancer, aims to use its technology to identify whether cells in a person’s sputum are cancerous, thus indicating … Continue reading “BioAffinity Aims to Revive Cancer Diagnostic in San Antonio”
Ground Breaking: Shine Receives Permit from Regulator to Build Plant
Shine Medical Technologies says it has received approval from a federal regulator to build a manufacturing facility where the company plans to produce a crucial medical isotope. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorized the issuance of a construction permit to Shine Thursday, says Katrina Pitas, the company’s vice president of business development. The facility will be … Continue reading “Ground Breaking: Shine Receives Permit from Regulator to Build Plant”
With New Partnership, Propeller Health To Make Inhaler From Scratch
Propeller Health knows a thing or two about inhalers. The Madison, WI-based startup, launched in 2010, has for years made electronic devices that encase or snap onto inhalers made by large pharma companies such as Germany-based Boehringer Ingelheim and U.K.-based GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]). Propeller’s Internet-connected devices are designed to help asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary … Continue reading “With New Partnership, Propeller Health To Make Inhaler From Scratch”
NYCEDC Bets on Streamlined Pilot Studies to Buoy NY Healthtech Startups
It’s one thing to come up with a new digital health product, say an operating system for health benefits, or a widget to help with patient referrals, that you think might change healthcare. It’s another to get clinicians to actually use it. That’s where pilot studies, or test runs of a new technology at a … Continue reading “NYCEDC Bets on Streamlined Pilot Studies to Buoy NY Healthtech Startups”